Would State Man definitely have beaten Golden Ace but for his dramatic fall? Jeremy Scott isn’t so sure . . .

Jeremy Scott has suggested Golden Ace might have won the Champion Hurdle even without State Man’s final-flight fall as he looked forward to locking horns again with the horse his star mare dethroned as champion.

Scott was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday’s newspaper in which he reflected on the dramatic career change that saw him become a trainer late in life, the despair he felt at an awful winter and the astonishing redemption provided by Golden Ace at Cheltenham.

The seven-year-old has been widely depicted as a fortunate winner of the Champion Hurdle, but Scott doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

"I think State Man coming down was such a shame because I did wonder if he hadn't accelerated so quickly off the bend that he'd slightly shot his bolt and whether we wouldn't have clawed him back up the hill – but we'll never know,” said Scott.

Jeremy Scott celebrates with the crowd after Golden Ace's Champion Hurdle winCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

"So you still have it in your mind that you were a lucky winner, and I feel sad for the horse because she deserves better, but for us there's a wonderful feeling that we achieved what we achieved and we produced her to run as well as we felt she could."

Golden Ace is now set to head to Punchestown, where she could face State Man as well as his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Lossiemouth, Nicky Henderson’s legendary Constitution Hill and Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead.

Scott admits it is hard to compete with those bigger yards, pointing out that Mullins brought over roughly double the number of horses to Cheltenham as he trains in total.

Not that he shows any sign of resentment towards the top trainers, adding: "It's testament to the ability of the likes of Gordon [Elliott] and Willie to cope with running a business of that size and dealing with owners and staff.

“They're brilliant people as well as being extraordinarily good trainers, so it's not surprising that people go to them.”

Read more from Jeremy Scott in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Racing Post+ Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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