State Man to receive Punchestown send-off
The Willie Mullins-trained chestnut was six from seven at Punchestown.
Retired superstar State Man will be paraded on William Hill Morgiana Hurdle day at Punchestown on Saturday week.
The Willie Mullins-trained chestnut won 14 of his 20 career starts and was six from seven at Punchestown, a record which featured back-to-back Morgiana Hurdle wins and a hat-trick of victories in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.
Paul Townend, who steered State Man to all but one of his wins, singled out State Man’s 2025 showdown with Constitution Hill at Punchestown as a particularly special occasion, reflecting on the extraordinary reception the horse received from the record-breaking crowd.
He said: “The reception he got at Punchestown was incredible and it was probably because of the build-up to the showdown between ourselves and Constitution Hill when they were both coming back from Cheltenham falls to redeem themselves. People really got behind him that day and it was a huge performance.”
In all, State Man won 12 Grade Ones including the Champion Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival and three editions of the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
With his retirement recently confirmed, the nine-year-old is set to return to County Kildare for a final lap of honour on November 21.
Not only was State Man’s career defined by class and resilience, he also leaves an extraordinary lasting legacy through charity, with his owners Joe and Marie Donnelly generously contributing to the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.
The prize-money donated has helped fund the PKRF State Man Arts Therapy Programme, supporting dialysis patients in Tallaght, Wexford, Waterford, Galway and Portlaoise hospitals.
Following what proved to be State Man’s final start in the 2025 Punchestown Champion Hurdle, Joe Donnelly summed up the emotion of the day, declaring: “This is my best day ever as an owner.”