Constitution Hill's absence from the Cheltenham Festival has stirred concern among bookmakers, who are now bracing for a surge of bets on State Man, Willie Mullins' standout two-mile hurdler, who has emerged as the clear favourite for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Last year, Nicky Henderson's defending champion triumphed as the 4-11 favourite on the Festival's opening day and was widely expected to secure back-to-back victories, particularly after an impressive performance at Kempton during the Christmas Hurdle.
However, State Man's fortunes took a turn for the worse at Kempton, where a lacklustre showing set off a sequence of events that culminated in his elevation to frontrunner status following the news of Henderson's withdrawal from the Cotswolds showdown.
State Man is now poised to fill the void left by Constitution Hill and is poised to be the linchpin of many punters' accumulators for the Festival, with bookmaker BoyleSports dubbing the ten-time winner as the 'Irish banker' of the week.
According to Brian O'Keeffe, a spokesperson for BoyleSports,
"State Man appears to be the standout choice as the Irish banker for this year's Cheltenham Festival. With Constitution Hill out of the picture, State Man has now become the most heavily backed favourite across the four-day event."
Despite suffering his sole defeat in the past 11 races at the hands of Constitution Hill in last year's Champion Hurdle, bookmakers are now reluctant to go against State Man, with Paddy Power installing him as the 1-3 favourite - one of the shortest-priced frontrunners of the week.
Paul Binfield, a representative of Paddy Power, expressed disappointment over the absence of Constitution Hill at Cheltenham, highlighting State Man as the new favourite and acknowledging his dominance in hurdling over the past few seasons.
Looking ahead, Sam Boswell of BetVictor is hopeful that contenders like Irish Point and Lossiemouth might step up to challenge State Man, ensuring a more competitive Champion Hurdle event on the opening day of the Festival.