State Man, who was denied a repeat success in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March when he fell at the final flight, gained a measure of compensation here on Friday evening as he recorded a third successive win in Punchestown’s equivalent of the two-mile championship event. His task, though, was certainly made easier by a bitterly disappointing performance from Constitution Hill,the 2023 Champion Hurdle winnerand odds-on favourite here, who beat only one of his five opponents home.
The race was billed as a rematch of the last meeting between Constitution Hill, State Man and Golden Ace in the Champion Hurdle, whichproved to be one of the most dramatic runningsof a championship event in living memory. Constitution Hill, unbeaten in 10 starts and odds-on there as well, fell midway through the race while State Man crashed out with the race at his mercy, leaving Jeremy Scott’s outsider, Golden Ace, to take the spoils.
All three horses – the past three winners of the Champion Hurdle – were in the field, and State Man, as usual, set out to make all the running at a track Paul Townend, his jockey, described as “his playground”.
Constitution Hill, being ridden for the first time by James Bowen in place of the injured Nico de Boinville, travelled well enough in fourth place until four out, with Golden Ace and Kargese, a stable companion of the winner, just ahead. As State Man poured it on from three out, Constitution Hill was suddenly treading water and there was no hint of the brilliant turn of foot that, in conjunction with an exceptionally quick and accurate jumping style, had carried himto 10 straight wins, including two at the Cheltenham festival, in the early part of his career.
By the second-last, he was struggling to stay in front of a 125-1 outsider, Break My Soul and he had only another rank outsider, Bottler’secret, behind him at the line as State Man, stayed on for a four-and-three-quarter length defeat of Golden Ace.
Constitution Hill suffered falls at Cheltenham and Aintreethis year, but this was his first defeat in 11 completed starts. “It’s very disappointing, but it’s a tough game and a tough place to be,” Nicky Henderson, Constitution Hill’s trainer, said. “It’s sad it had to be that way. You could live with going down in a battle [but] he was beaten two out.
“Something has gone wrong, obviously. That’s not him, we know that, so our job is to try to unravel the mystery. He’ll get scoped now, that’s the first thing we have to do, but it’s a mystery. He’s got such a great mind, this horse, it [the recent falls] is unlikely to worry him. He was travelling very well turning in but then it was all over very quickly.”
Thirty-five years on from saddling his first runner in the 2,000 Guineas, John Gosden will make the short trip to the Rowley Mile on Saturday with Field Of Gold, the 2-1 favourite, still looking for his first win in the Newmarket colts’ Classic, and possibly wondering too if he will ever have a better chance to fill the most obvious remaining gap on his impressive cv.
It is not that Gosden has suffered a shortage of top-class three-year-old milers over the years. Roaring Lion, Too Darn Hot, Palace Pier and Kingman – Field Of Gold’s sire – have won eight-furlong Group Ones for the stable as three-year-olds since 2014 but, for various reasons, were either beaten or missing from the line-up on the first Saturday in May.
Field Of Gold has been the likely favourite for Saturday’s Classic since his emphatic success in the Craven Stakes over the Guineas course and distance last month and certain to start favourite since Twain, Aidan O’Brien’s prime contender, was effectively ruled out on Tuesday.
While his winning margin of three-and-a-half lengths was undeniably impressive, the time of the race was nothing special and while he tops the field on Timeform’sratings, he is 1lb in front of Shadow Of Light, last season’s Dewhurst winner.
Field Of Gold also faces several lightly raced rivals with arguably more scope for improvement, including Shadow Of Light’s stable companion,Ruling Court(3.35), whose trainer, Charlie Appleby, is going for a third 2,000 Guineas success in four years.
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Ruling Court was a close third behind The Lion In Winter, one of last season’s best juveniles, at York’s Ebor meeting last August and showed an impressive turn of foot to go six lengths clear in the UAE 2,000 Guineas last time. William Buick, Appleby’s stable jockey, was aboard there and has opted to partner Ruling Court, a hint that may well be worth taking at likely odds of around 4-1.
Newmarket 1.45:The drop back to sprinting after a three-year-old campaign beyond a mile for his former trainer saw an instant improvement fromMore Thunderon his debut for William Haggas and a 5lb penalty is unlikely to prevent him following up.
Goodwood 2.00:Crimson Advocatehas not been an easy filly to train since winning the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot in 2023, but she was beaten narrowly when making a significant step up in trip to a mile at Kempton in March and should build on that progress.
Newmarket 2.20:Hand Of Godis unraced since winning a competitive handicap with something to spare at Royal Ascot last summer, but he landed the Esher Cup first time up last season and looks sure to make further improvement this year.
Thirsk 2.35:Julie Camacho’sObelixvery much caught the eye when fourth over seven furlongs at this track on his return to action in April. He had nowhere to go a furlong out, finished with plenty left to give and will appreciate this return to a mile.
Newmarket 2.55:Rumstarran well in several competitive handicaps last summer before getting off the mark in a Listed race at Ascot and he looks overpriced at around 10-1 to bridge the relatively small gap to Group Three company.