State Man stuns Punchestown as Constitution Hill fades in Champion Hurdle showdown
State Man stuns Punchestown as Constitution Hill fades in Champion Hurdle showdown
State Man turned the Boodles Champion Hurdle on its head at Punchestown, delivering a commanding performance that left Constitution Hill trailing and a full-capacity crowd stunned. In a race billed as a coronation, it was Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old who walked off as king.
The anticipation had built all day. Everyone was talking Constitution Hill — unbeaten when standing up, flawless at his best, and supposedly ready to reclaim his throne. But questions lingered. Two recent falls. No Nico de Boinville. And a rushed travel schedule — flown in and ferried over, landing in Ireland just hours before race day.
In the parade ring, Constitution Hill looked unbothered. Switched off. Detached. Almost too calm. James Bowen kept him wide in the run, giving him a look at every flight. It was textbook on paper — but it never sparked.
State Man, by contrast, was electric. Focused in the prelims, sharp in the body, and poised throughout. Paul Townend barely moved on him early. He travelled like a horse with a point to prove, and when the field turned for home, he simply let go.
The race tempo built through the back straight, with five fences still to jump. At that stage, Buttler’s Secret and Break My Soul were already under pressure. Golden Ace looked threatening, Kargese tracked with intent, but it was the top trio of State Man, Constitution Hill, and Kargese who moved to the front.
As they approached the final bend, the tone shifted. State Man was still cruising. Constitution Hill hit the second last and lost ground instantly. The final hurdle sealed it — State Man fluent, Kargese sticking on gamely in second, while Constitution Hill found nothing. There was no late rally. No defiance. Only evidence that the travel, the pressure, and the occasion had caught up with him.
Behind them, Break My Soul ran a brave fourth, a solid showing in top company. Constitution Hill, despite the hype, was only fifth. Buttler’s Secret took sixth, completing the frame.
But this was State Man’s stage. The Mullins-trained star wasn’t just the best horse in the race — he was the most ready, the most composed, and the most deserving.
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Top Six Finishers:
• 1st: STATE MAN (FR) — Paul Townend | W P Mullins
• 2nd: GOLDEN ACE (GB) — Lorcan Williams | Jeremy Scott
• 3rd: KARGESE (FR) — Danny Mullins | W P Mullins
• 4th: BREAK MY SOUL (IRE) — Keith Donoghue | Pat Coffey
• 5th: CONSTITUTION HILL (GB) — James Bowen | Nicky Henderson
• 6th: BOTTLER’ SECRET (IRE) — Danny Gilligan | Aidan Mella
This wasn’t a race — it was a correction. And at Punchestown today, the book was rewritten. Constitution Hill may still be a great horse. But tonight, State Man is the champion.
