PartialLogo
Reports02 February 2025
premium

The music stops as State Man strolls home in the mother and father of all anti-climaxes at Leopardstown

Lossiemouth and State Man jump the first in the Irish Champion Hurdle
Lossiemouth and State Man jump the first together in the Irish Champion HurdleCredit: Patrick McCann

Alas, we will never know. This was the mother and father of all anti-climaxes. 

It felt like the mid-1990s all over again before 3.20pm at Leopardstown on Sunday, those heady days of Britpop when you were either Oasis or Blur. You were either State Man or Lossiemouth ahead of the Irish Champion Hurdle and it was all building up to a beautiful crescendo, the packed grandstands just about to let rip and go into full roaring mode, when the music stopped. 

Lossiemouth forgot to raise a leg at the third-last, crashing through the flight and unceremoniously dumping Danny Mullins. They almost brought down State Man, too, but didn't and it was left to the Champion Hurdle winner to stroll home in his own time. We learned about as much as you would watching a Spanish movie without subtitles. 

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock
  • Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
  • Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
  • Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
  • Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
  • Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
  • Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Subscribe

Already a subscriber?Log in