'People have to take him on' - Willie Mullins maps out plan to take on Constitution Hill with State Man and Impaire Et Passe

Constitution Hill will have to fend off a brand new challenger to his Champion Hurdle crown as Willie Mullins gears up last season's impressive Ballymore winner Impaire Et Passe for a hurdling campaign, with the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on December 3 his most likely starting point.

Mullins handed State Man the unenviable task of overturning Nicky Henderson's star at Cheltenham last season and while he was unable to lay a glove on the unbeaten hurdler, he still won four Grade 1s on home soil, all in authoritative fashion.

The six-year-old is set to remain hurdling but he will also be joined by stablemate Impaire Et Passe on a mission to take on Constitution Hill in March with both being aimed at the Champion Hurdle, which Mullins has landed four times, most recently in 2016 with Annie Power.

Mullins said: "State Man and Impaire Et Passe will probably go down the Champion Hurdle route. It will probably be State Man for the Morgiana and Impaire Et Passe for the Hatton's Grace but the two of them will get entries in both and it will depend on which is ready first.

"It's hard to see State Man beating Constitution Hill but I'm hoping he'll improve. He won four Grade 1s in Ireland and every horse is just one gallop away from an injury so it's all to play for. Constitution Hill has to get there and we have to get there."

Impaire Et Passe is unbeaten in four starts since joining Closutton, landing the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer at Punchestown prior to an electric display in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham where he scorched six and a half lengths clear of stablemate Gaelic Warrior. The five-year-old ended his season with another dominant display at Punchestown when accounting for High Definition by over seven lengths.

"Connections were keen to stay hurdling with Impaire Et Passe and have a crack at the Champion Hurdle," said Mullins. "He was very impressive in the Ballymore. The only reason he ran in the Ballymore was because we had Facile Vega for the Supreme. He will probably have to improve a fair bit to beat Constitution Hill but people have to take him on too."

Mullins has won the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham nine times, with six of those triumphs courtesy of the ultra-prolific Quevega. That stranglehold has been wrestled away in recent years since Benie Des Dieux landed the honours in 2018 but the Closutton yard are assembling a powerful army of mares this season.

Triumph Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth, Fairyhouse Grade 1 winner Ashroe Diamond and Gala Marceau, who was last seen winning the French version of the Triumph Hurdle, will step up into open company this season.

Mullins said: "It will be the Champion Hurdle or Mares' Hurdle for Lossiemouth, more than likely the Mares' Hurdle. We'd probably like to run her at the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham and I haven't decided if I will give her a run beforehand. I might just keep her fresh. She's only four and has a tough season behind her so I'm inclined to get her good and strong.

"We were thinking about going chasing with Ashroe Diamond but I had a chat with connections this week and we decided to stay hurdling. The big mares races at Cheltenham and Punchestown will be her objective this year.

"Gala Marceau is a fair mare. She won the big race at Auteuil which was worth a lot more than the Triumph Hurdle so that showed how good she is. She will go down the Mares' Hurdle route."

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