APART from finishing second to the Kerry National winner Busselton on his only outing in France at three in a listed hurdle race at Auteuil, falling two out on his Irish hurdling debut at Leopardstown, and trailing Constitution Hill by nine lengths in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, State Man has an unblemished record.

The six-year-old notched up his eighth success over hurdles at the Punchestown Winter Festival on Saturday, and connections will be hoping that he will be a leading challenger for Champion Hurdle honours in March. State Man already has three ‘champion’ hurdle victories under his belt, but the one that matters most is still on the cards, in spite of the seeming invincibility of Constitution Hill.

Back in February this year, at the Dublin Racing Festival, State Man denied Honeysuckle in the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle, arguably the race of that weekend, and in the process captured his fourth straight top level win.

While that run of success was halted at Cheltenham, State Man was back to his best with a comfortable victory from Vauban in the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle, and now he has taken his Grade 1 tally to six with a second win in the Morgiana Hurdle.

State Man’s first notable scalp was claimed at Cheltenham last year when he won the Grade 3 County Hurdle, and later added the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown and the Grade 1 December Hurdle at Leopardstown. He just one of many racing stars for his sire, Doctor Dino (Muhtathir).

While Saint Des Saints is four years older and stands for €15,000, the 21-year-old Doctor Dino has just completed this season at Haras du Mesnil for an advertised price of €20,000, his second season at this elevated fee.

State Man is, along with seven-time Grade 1 winner Sharjah and Sceau Royal the best offspring of his sire, also responsible for Royal Margaux, Master Dino, Docteur De Ballon, La Bague Au Roi and more. He twice came close to getting a Group/Grade 1 winner on the flat, Physiocrate beaten a length in the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks, while pattern winner Golden Legend got even closer to Sheikha Reika in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes.

Solid performer

A solid performer in France where he won at up to Group 2 level and was placed at the higher grade, Doctor Dino made his international forays pay handsomely. He twice won the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin, and beat a quality field to land the Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes at Belmont.

When he was retired to stud, at the age of eight, he had clocked up winnings of more than €2.75 million.

State Man is the second Grade 1 winner out of Arret Station, a daughter of Johann Quatz (Sadler’s Wells). The other is his half-sister, another Willie Mullins inmate, Statuaire (Muhtathir), and she was victorious in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse. This year Statuaire produced her first foal, a colt by Walk In The Park (Montjeu).

State Man and Statuaire were both bred by Vincent Barrett’s M L Bloodstock, and he raced the mare. Barrett purchased their dam for €13,000 in a private transaction at the Osarus June Horses-In-Training Sale in 2011. Arret Station had won a listed hurdle race at Auteuil at the age of three, after which her form rather tailed off. However, she did come back to form at six and won for the third time, this time in a chase.

Third winner

Arret Station is the dam of a third winner in Stop Line (Martaline), and she was placed in a listed hurdle race at Auteuil. There are plenty of young stock still to run for the mare, by smart stallions, and she will surely breed more winners in time.

The immediate family has improved since Barrett purchased Arret Station. The mare’s younger own-brother, Pull Marine (Johann Quatz), has since become a three-time winner over jumps, while their unraced half-sister, Danseur Sur La Lune (Dano-Mast), purchased for just €2,000 as a three-year-old, has made an encouraging start at stud, her three winners headed by the seven-time scorer, Le Meteque (Early March).

Their dam Alicesprings (Pelder) won five races on the flat and was one of five winners for her own winning dam, Cyrning (Saint Cyrien). After that you need to go back to State Man’s fourth dam Sonning (Moulin) to find the next piece of blacktype, as she bred 10 winners, the best of which was a listed hurdle winner in Worldson (Lost World), and the listed-placed hurdler Taking (Take Risks).

Grade 1 wrap-up at Auteuil

THE odds-on favourite Losange Bleu (Martaline) led from start to finish in the €280,000 Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle at Auteuil on Sunday. Racing in the colours of the Papot family, who also bred him, Losange Bleu asserted his dominance in the final Grade 1 race of the year in France.

Three weeks earlier in the Grade 3 Pierre de Lassus 4yo Hurdle the Dominique Bressou-trained gelding had impressively avenged a prior defeat to Whymper in the Grade 3 Maisons-Laffitte 4yo Hurdle, where Losange Bleu had only managed to finish fifth on his seasonal comeback. In May, Losange Bleu had to settle for second in the Grade 1 Alain du Breil 4yo Hurdle, won by the Willie Mullins-trained Gala Marceau.

This was victory number seven for Losange Bleu, six of which have been graded or listed events, and he has been placed on three of his remaining four outings. He has won more than €550,000.

Losange Bleu’s dam, Sweet Valrose (Cadoudal), was placed in hurdle races at Enghien and Auteuil at the age of three, racing for Vicenzo Esposito. She produced several winners before coming under the Papot family’s ownership, and her tally of victorious offspring now stands at six. Her first foal for the Papot family, Losange Vert (Montmartre) distinguished himself by winning the Grade 3 Duc d’Anjou 4yo Chase.

After Losange Bleu, she foaled Losange Vert Bleu (Night Wish), a three-year-old yet to race and currently trained by Dominique Bressou.

Acquisition

Prior to her acquisition by the Papot family, Sweet Valrose’s winners included three full-brothers who were placed in blacktype races. The more familiar of these was Vicenzo Mio (Corri Piano) who won twice in France at three, moved to Paul Nicholls for whom he won a three-year-old hurdle at Kempton and was placed in a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle. He raced on for many years and never won again, but was placed a total of 20 times.

Sweet Valrose is a full-sister to Blue Shark (Cadoudal), and after winning a listed hurdle in France he made a successful debut for Nicky Henderson and landed the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow. That was the end of his winning form however, though he remains the best of four winners from the unraced Sweet Beauty (Tip Moss). She was a daughter of the smart racemare Sweet Virginia (Tapioca II).

By virtue of winning the weekend Grade 1, Losange Bleu has continued a distinguished family tradition. It means that his first three dams have all bred a winner at the highest level over jumps. Sweet Virginia is responsible for the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle winner Sweet Duke (Iron Duke), and this is also the family of Grade 1 winners Benie Des Dieux (Great Pretender) and Grandouet (Al Namix), as well as the good jumps sire Cokoriko (Robin Des Champs).

In June 2022 at Arqana, the maiden Vicenza Mia (Fuissé), a sibling to Losange Bleu, was sold for €43,000 to Donal White, in foal to Montmartre (Montmartre), and in late January she foaled a colt for Oldcourt Stud.