Punchestown tips: Peter O'Hehir's selections as State Man and Lossiemouth clash in Morgiana Hurdle

Still only a seven-year-old, boasting ten Grade 1 victories, State Man is unbeaten since suffering at the hands of Constitution Hill

By: irishmirror.ie

Nov 23 2024
0
0 Views

Punchestown tips: Peter O'Hehi

State Man should notch his eleventh Grade 1 success and emulate the legendary Hurricane Fly and Limestone Lad by winning a third Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown today.

Willie Mullins, who has won this twelve of the last thirteen runnings of this event, is reintroducing three of his stable stars today, he runs both State Man and Lossiemouth in the ‘Morgiana’ while Ballyburn is set to make his eagerly-awaited chase debut in the Conway Piling Beginners Chase.

But State Man, beaten only twice since joining the Mullins Team (a fall in a Leopardstown maiden hurdle on his stable debut and a nine lengths defeat by Constitution Hill in the 2023 Champion Hurdle), is the undoubtedly the star of the Saturday card.

Still only a seven-year-old, boasting ten Grade 1 victories, State Man is unbeaten since suffering at the hands of Constitution Hill.

He has won each of the Leopardstown’s Matheson Hurdle, the Irish Champion Hurdle and this event on two occasions and, last March, in the absence of Constitution Hill, made his Unibet Champion Hurdle breakthrough when outpointing compatriot Irish Point.

And the Clusutton gelding confirmed form with that rival when they renewed rivalry in the Boodles Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

Conqueror of stables-companion Sharjah and Echoes In Rain in his ‘Morgiana’ wins, State Man is rated 169 and must give weight to two exciting young mares, Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead here.

Stable-companion Lossiemouth looks the main threat to the favourite as she starts on the road to the Champion Hurdle.

A four-time Grade 1 winner, 156-rated Lossiemouth was extremely impressive in a truncated campaign last season, winning both the Unibet Hurdle (Grade 2) and Close Brothers Mares Hurdle (Grade 1), both at Cheltenham, with the minimum of fuss before coasting to victory in the Coolmore Mares Champion Hurdle at this venue.

Although a realistic ‘Champion’ contender, the mare, with Patrick Mullins on board, will struggle to cope with State Man on this occasion, a comment which also applies to Gordon Elliott’s classy Brighterdaysahead, who will be helped by a recent Grade 3 in Down Royal.

Alarmingly, Gordon Elliott is responsible for all three runners in the Boodles Florida Pearl Novice Chase, all owned by Gigginstown, with my vote going to Jack Kennedy’s mount, chasing debutant Stellar Story, winner of the ‘Albert Bartlett’ at Cheltenham.

Of more interest will be Ballyburn’s first excursion over fences in the ‘beginners’.

Beaten only once (by Firefox on his hurdling bow), this fellow rattled off impressive Grade 1 wins at Leopardstown, Cheltenham and Punchestown to prove himself the season’s top novice and looks a future Gold Cup horse. And he’s impossible to oppose here.

Tips

11.30.Slurricane

12.00.Butch Cassidy

12.30.Ballyburn

1.00.Stellar Story

1.35.Law Ella

2.10.State Man (Nap)

2.50.Gold Speed

3.25.Ma Jacks Hill

Next Best

11.30.Its Bilbo

12.00.Sermandzarak