Golden Ace (25/1) caused a surprise when becoming the seventh mare to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
In an eventual race for the two-mile hurdling championship, the winners for the past two seasons, Constitution Hill (1/2f) and State Man both crashed out.
The Nicky Henderson-trained race favourite Constitution Hill fell at the fifth hurdle, while the Donnellys’ State Man, fell at the last, with the race at his mercy.
Golden Ace and Lorcan Williams were left to come home nine lengths clear of Burdett Road (66-1), with one and a half lengths further back to the 11-year-old Winter Fog, the mount of Brian Hayes.
It was a second Festival win for trainer Jeremy Scott, and his winner now joins African Sister (1939), Dawn Run (1984), Flakey Dove (1994), Annie Power (2016), Epatante (2020), Honeysuckle (2021 and 2022) and Golden Ace (2025) as Champion Hurdle-winning mares.
“I think my team at home will be as flabbergasted as I am – they’ll be watching it at home now and they’ll definitely be reaching for the drinks cabinet,” Scott admitted. “Amazing, absolutely amazing. I hope both Constitution Hill and poor old State Man are alright.
Willie Mullins’ reaction to State Man’s fall
“He was just long at it and popped the top of it, but these things happen,” Willie Mullins stated.
“At least we made the right decision (as to which race to run the horses in), but the hurdles are there to be jumped. We don’t need any chat with Paul to see what happened. I’m just delighted he is okay.”
Nicky Henderson update on Constitution Hill
“He seems fine,” the Seven Barrows handler said. “He is very bright and breezy, but of course he hasn’t had a race. I don’t know what can you say. He ran two miles, even if he didn’t have Nico on at the end.
“He has been in terrific form I have got to say, but poor old State Man as well. You couldn’t believe those two old silly old fools have gone and done what they have done today.
“When you are jumping as fast as they jump you have got to get it deadly accurate. You would like to see the replay of it, but it doesn’t really matter what he did.”
