Impaire Et Passe set for State Man sequel as Willie Mullins sticks to Champion Hurdle route with Ballymore winner

The blockbuster sequel to the Christmas showdown between State Man and Impaire Et Passe will take place next month, with Willie Mullins keen for last year's brilliant Ballymore winner to have another crack at his prolific stablemate in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

And the three horses deemed most likely to trouble the mighty Constitution Hill in March, according to the betting, could meet in a thrilling clash at the Dublin Racing Festival, as Henry de Bromhead revealed the resurgent Bob Olinger could also line up and put his own Unibet Champion Hurdle credentials to the test.

State Man and Impaire Et Passe went toe-to-toe in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown last month and it was State Man who scored with some swagger, surging clear after the last for a snug success by three and a quarter lengths.