Three Horses Out For The Season The National Hunt season is swiftly rising through the gears and, as is the norm, many thoughts are aimed towards Cheltenham in March as well as the major spring festivals at Leopardstown, Aintree and Punchestown. For some would-be contenders, those dreams have already been shelved owing to season-ending setbacks that will cause them to miss the entirety of the campaign. We are looking at some high-profile performers already consigned to box rest for the foreseeable future. State Man The biggest name to be ruled out so far is Willie Mullins' 12-time Grade 1 winner State Man. All but one of those top-level successes were achieved in Ireland, but the 2024 Champion Hurdle hero was all set to double up in the Cotswolds back in March when he crashed to the turf jumping the final flight five lengths to the good under Paul Townend. He took out the Champion Hurdle winner Golden Ace at Punchestown afterwards, but a setback on the gallops at home in Closutton has derailed his season before it even started. 'Horses like him don't come around too often' was how Mullins described him after confirming that news, and the champion trainer, alongside owners Joe and Marie Donnelly, will be hoping that State Man is back in training next season by which point he will be aged just nine. However, not since Sea Pigeon in 1981 has any horse aged 10 or older won the Champion Hurdle and State Man will have turned 10 when he potentially lines up in the two-miler next in the spring of 2027. Jasmin De Vaux Perhaps no trainer across Britain or Ireland is better placed to absorb an injury than Mullins, given he has 180 talented performers in his care, but he will still be disappointed that Jasmin De Vaux is also out for the season. Winner of the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, the Simon Munir & Isaac Souede-owned performer was a standout novice over hurdles last season, winning three times in five starts. He excelled himself once, stepping up to three miles, landing the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham in March and following up in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle at Punchestown with Aintree Grade 1 winner Honest Policy behind in second spot to take his Grade 1 haul to three. "He's had a small setback, so you won't see him this season. He'll be back next year, though," Mullins told the Racing Post. Caldwell Potter Accepting the loss of a star turn for a long period of time is much more gut-wrenching for Britain's 14-time champion trainer, as his Ditcheat yard doesn't boast the depth and overall quality of days gone by. Therefore, the news that dual Grade 1 winner Caldwell Potter has been ruled out for the season after sustaining a small injury while galloping at Newbury last month is particularly galling for Paul Nicholls and owners, including Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason. Caldwell Potter was the high-profile €740,000 purchase out of Gordon Elliott's yard in the Caldwell Construction dispersal sale in early 2024. His new connections were patient with him and he duly ended last season in style, winning the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree — latterly ensuring he's a top-level winning novice over both hurdles and fences. The Betfair Chase at Haydock was an intended starting point, but Nicholls confirmed the setback on his X account, adding: "Obviously it's a big blow for everyone involved with him, but he will be back."
