will the phoenix rise from the ashes of tarnished reputation & britain fights back.

​If someone had predicted at the start of the season that neither Nicky Henderson nor Willie Mullins would win the Champion Hurdle, we would have all scoffed at the lunacy of anyone who might believe in prophesy. Well, it is good no one did make such a prediction as it is helped my 50-50 belief in the occult remain in the sea-saw position of Schrodinger’s cat. 
Yet here we are at the final meeting of the Irish season with Constitution Hill and State Man looking for redemption for their antics at Cheltenham, Constitution Hill doubly so given he played the same falling-over trick at Aintree, and with the current Champion Hurdler, Golden Ace, with nothing to prove, given the fortune the racing gods rained down on her back in March.
Obviously, I would love Golden Ace to prevail again, though this time with the big two staying on the hooves. But how likely is it that Jeremy Scott will be wearing that bemused smile this time around? So, who will win this showdown at the finest racecourse in the world. Yes, I have decided Punchestown should win any future poll for the greatest racecourse in the world. Not the prettiest, not while that quarry blights the bucolic nature of the place, nor the easiest viewing for spectators. Just simply the best.
As the Bowen boys can do no wrong at the moment, it would be easy to go for Constitution Hill, so I will. He is the best around when it comes to hurdles, even if he has now proven beyond doubt that he is not the best jumper of hurdles, and he is certainly not the best of all-time when it comes to champion hurdlers. But he is the best around. 
But this is State Man’s home turf. He is reliable, does all that is needed and not a jot more and it will only take one fluff from Constitution Hill to give him the advantage. Yes, he too fluffed his lines at Cheltenham but greater horses than him have taken a purler at the last hurdle. Think Annie Power. Fingers crossed, though, it has to be Constitution Hill, hasn’t it? That is the bump in the road with this race, the two main contenders have questions to answer, with no current form to provide any clues to the outcome.
Then there is Kargese. Can she be ruled out entirely? She is trained by the equine magician who has spent this week defeating himself with third and fourth strings.
The other two main events this week have proved easy for me to decipher. I could not see how either Marine Nationale and Galopin Des Champs could be beat. This time I can visualise Constitution Hill both winning on the bridle and falling at the last when upside State Man. I can visualise State Man kicking for home off the final bend and Constitution Hill failing to get past him. I can visualise both Golden Ace and Kargese pulling off a big shock win with the big two trailing in their wake.
I hope, above all else, that all six-runners finish the race.

If Constitution Hill does win, which I hope he does, it will cap a great week for British-trained runners at Punchestown. Harry Derham and the small stable of Michael Smith started the ball rolling on the first day, with the winners continuing yesterday. British-trained horses, and this is usually recorded when talking about Irish-trained horses at Cheltenham in March not British-trained horses at Punchestown in April/May, had four of the first five finishers in the 3-mile handicap hurdle, with the Henderson trained Jeriko Du Reponet reversing Cheltenham form with his stable-mate Doddiethegreat, with the James Own trained One Big Bang third and the Harry Fry trained Beat the Bat fifth. Previous to that race, Petit Tonnerre won the 2-mile handicap chase for the O’Neills and the underappreciated Richie McLernon. And to top off a good day for the Brits the Alan King trained Baron Noir won the I.N.H. flat race from the David Maxwell ridden El Cairos, trained for him by the Moores, Gary and Josh and the Hobbs/White trained Kilwaughter third. Long may this period of handicap-type giant-killing continue.