Honeysuckle’s first career defeat this month and speculation over her target at the Cheltenham Festival have left State Man as potentially the leading Irish-trained challenger for the Champion Hurdle in March and Willie Mullins’s five-year-old will be odds-on to confirm that status in the Grade One Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown on Thursday.
Constitution Hill, who took his unbeaten career record to five races in Monday’s Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, is already long odds-on for the Champion, but State Man – who is also a five-year-old – has also done little wrong since a fall, with victory in sight, on his debut for Mullins on Boxing Day last year.
He made short work of 25 rivals in the County Hurdle at last season’s Festival on just his third start for the stable and has since landed two Grade Ones with a minimum of fuss.
Thursday’s assignment is his toughest to date, with stable companions Vauban – last season’s Triumph Hurdle winner – and track specialist Sharjah in opposition. State Man (2.20), though, has improved with every start to date and should plant at least a small seed of doubt for Constitution Hill’s backers that he might not have it all his own way at Cheltenham in 11 weeks’ time.
Leopardstown 1.10 Gordon Elliott’s Queens Brook was beaten less than two lengths in the Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival in March and should follow up her recent success in a Listed hurdle at Punchestown.
Leopardstown 1.45 Three Stripe Life was pulled up when favourite for the Drinmore Novice Chase earlier this month but his rider had little choice after losing his irons when his mount made a bad mistake. He is still potentially top-class over fences and can get back on track here.
Doncaster 2.40 Gesskille has been admirably consistent in the face of a variety of assignments since joining his current yard in the spring and was the only runner to launch a serious challenge from off the pace in the Becher Chase at Aintree last time. He drops in grade here and Toby Wynne takes off a useful 5lb.
Leopardstown 2.55 Several of these novices are potentially well ahead of their opening marks, none more so than Charles Byrnes’s Green Glory, an eye-catcher on a couple of his recent starts in non-handicap company.
Doncaster 3.10 Zambella is a dependable performer at this level but may not have quite as much in hand of her field as a price around even-money might suggest. Jemima P, another uncomplicated sort who likes to race up with the pace, has a similar chance on her best form and looks too big at around 6-1.
Conflated takes Savills Chase after A Plus Tard injury
Conflated, last season’s Irish Gold Cup winner at Leopardstown, further improved his record at the track with a straightforward five-length success in the Grade One Savills Chase on Wednesday, though the contest lost much of its significance as a Festival trial when A Plus Tard, the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was scratched a few hours before the race after knocking a joint on the way to the course.
A Plus Tard was a hugely impressive winner of Cheltenham’s showpiece event in March but he was pulled up on his only subsequent start, in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park in November, and his preparation to defend his crown has now been thrown into further confusion.
“He’s moving perfect but he’s just given his joint a bang,” Henry de Bromhead, A Plus Tard’s trainer, said. “It’s a bit angry-looking and there’s just a bit of heat there, so we’ll see.”
The obvious Cheltenham prep race for A Plus Tard now is the Irish Gold Cup on the second day of the Dublin Racing Festival on 5 February, when Conflated – who was cut to around 14-1 (from 33-1) for the Gold Cup after Wednesday’s success – could head the opposition once again.
Gordon Elliott’s chaser was always prominent as Kemboy, the winner of the race four seasons ago, cut out the early running and Jack Kennedy’s mount joined the leader early on the final circuit before jumping into the lead three out. He crossed the line five lengths in front of Kemboy with Fury Road another length and a quarter back in third.
Michael O’Leary, whose Gigginstown Stud operation owns Conflated, said after his success that a decision on whether he returns for another crack at the Irish Gold Cup will be left to Elliott, though the owner would consider sending him straight to Cheltenham.
“I suspect now that he’s won this, I’ll leave it up to Gordon but if he was asking my advice, I’d go straight to Cheltenham,” O’Leary said. “There’s nothing to be gained by coming back here in February, maybe [his stable companion] Fury Road might come back but I’d like to see him go straight to the Gold Cup and give him his chance and if it happens, it happens.
“If it doesn’t, today was our Gold Cup anyway. When you win a Grade One like the Savills at Christmas, it’s already a great season.”
Joseph O’Brien’s improving stayer Home By The Lee is almost certain to head straight to the Festival meeting in March after getting off the mark at Grade One level in the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle.
Home By The Lee was a 7-1 chance for Wednesday’s race despite having beaten several of his rivals, including the dual Stayers’ Hurdle winner, Flooring Porter, last time out, and he stayed on strongly to beat Ashdale Bob by three lengths after jumping the last a neck behind the runner-up.
“He’ll go straight there [the Stayers’ Hurdle] now,” O’Brien said. “He was only beaten six or seven lengths in it last year. He’ll probably need another career best to win that, but we’re delighted to win a Grade One with him.
Kelso 11.53 Camp Belan 12.28 Inis Oirr 1.03 Wheelbahri 1.38 Old Painless 2.13 Hitching Jacking 2.48 Traprain Law 3.20 Phillapa Sue
Doncaster 12.10 Val Dancer 12.45 Haddex Des Obeaux 1.20 Pretending 1.55 Getalead 2.40 Gesskille 3.10 Jemima P (nb) 3.40 Fostered Phil
Southwell 4.00 Zealot 4.30 Dubai Immo 5.00 Naomi’s Charm 5.30 Pysanka 6.00 Ramon Di Loria (nap) 6.30 The Thin Blue Line 7.00 Ok Pal 7.30 Bluebird
“He’s never really run too bad a race, he lost his confidence a bit chasing but when we came back over hurdles, he seemed to take his form to a new level and it looks like he’s still progressing.”
Home By The Lee was cut to around 6-1 (from 20-1) for the Stayers’ Hurdle, while Flooring Porter, who finished third, is 7-1 (from 5-1) to complete a hat-trick in the feature event on the third day of the Festival meeting.
