Cheltenham kicks off on Tuesday and Summerhill trainer Gordon Elliott says he is ready to take on Willie Mullins and State Man in the Champion Hurdle tomorrow following Constitution Hill’s withdrawal.
The defending champion and overwhelming favourite was withdrawn from the race by trainer Nicky Henderson on Monday, following a poor scope at Kempton last week, which uncovered an apparent illness for the Champion Hurdler from 2023.
After four successive wins, including at the Dublin Racing Festival last month, State Man has been installed as 1/3 favourite with Betfair. However, Irish Point (4/1) could be a key challenger having also won four successive races, including the Grade 1 Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 28 in his most recent outing.
Elliott says he is keen to run his contender up against Mullins’ State Man, telling Racing TV that he fancies his chances at Cheltenham.
He said: “Yeah I am keen to run him, obviously State Man is going to be a very, very hard bet; but I’d prefer to take him on around Cheltenham than Punchestown or Leopardstown.
“He’s the horse everyone has to beat – I’d like to take him on with Irish Point. I think we’re going to be second favourites if Lossiemouth doesn’t run, I’ll have a meeting on Thursday morning and go through the horses but I’d be keen to run him.
Irish Point has never run at Cheltenham, having only been seen once in Britain at Aintree last year. He won the Grade 1 Turners’ Mersey Novices as part of the Grand National meeting and Elliott continued by saying that the expected soft ground at Cheltenham could suit the six-year-old.
He continued: “He’s a classy horse, I think he’d run a big race and the track would suit him with the ground being a bit soft. The favourite (State Man) is going to be very hard to beat, but you should never be afraid of one horse.
“He hasn’t got many miles on the clock and I think that the race could suit him.”
See if the bookies agree; https://www.boylesports.com/sports/horse-racing/future-horses
