Punchestown preview: State Man out to make another statement of intent via IrishTimesSport
He has beaten all his five opponents at least once already and on ratings has reached a standard that ordinarily would make him a perfectly reasonable Champion Hurdle winner.
But even if the latter is sent over fences next season State Man could still fail to take the ultimate step by running into an emerging novice. It’s hardly an ideal scenario in terms of competitive action but the festival action so far has underlined how Punchestown’s end of term context can conspire to confound the odds.He scored at last year’s festival, started this season with a Morgiana victory here, before scoring at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Impaire Et Passe also has a handful of opponents that on all evidence shouldn’t trouble the rising star. That could provoke some improvement in a prospect who ran seventh to Marine Nationale in the Supreme at Cheltenham. Apart from the opening Bishopscourt Cup, the Mullins team are heavily represented on Friday, including with both Annamix and Billaway in the Hunters chase.
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