This was the day State Man stuck his chest out and said, 'Look at me', providing the ultimate proof he actually is a superstar of the sport as he waltzed to a hat-trick of Punchestown Champion Hurdles and notched a 12th Grade 1 win with the sort of nonchalance that makes you wonder why we ever doubted him in the first place. Yet again a big State Man success comes with an asterisk, though. This time it was a pale shadow of Constitution Hill showing up.

Instead we got a pitiful imitation of the beast who burst on to the scene with the greatest Supreme Novices' Hurdle success most of us have ever clapped eyes on. The mental scars of his crushing fall at Aintree on top of a similarly sickening tumble at Cheltenham were evident by the first hurdle. In his pomp, he was the most fearless jumper you could wish to find but he approached the opening flight here as though it were made of nails rather than birch.

The usual millimetre margin for error was a few feet. You could see the recent turmoil had taken its toll. There was a fleeting moment turning out of the back straight when James Bowen looked as though he was easing his way into contention, but it lasted only a few strides and once push came to shove, it was game over.

He beat only 250-1 shot Bottler'secret home. It was a shame we did not get the showdown we had been salivating over for weeks, but that was not State Man's fault. He did what State Man does.

He showed up. The only day he did not was at Leopardstown over Christmas. He should be a dual Champion Hurdle winner, a final flight fall this year deprived him of that, but he is now a three-time Punchestown Champion Hurdle winner.

Paul Townend was not in the mood for any nonsense. We thought Constitution Hill might pop out in front but it was State Man instead. If truth be told, the outcome was never in doubt at any stage.

Paul Townend celebrates winning the Punchestown Champion Hurdle on State Man Credit: Patrick McCann Townend, declaring his love for the prolific eight-year-old, said: "I'm really, really happy for the horse. I love him. He was never really flashy, so we tried the cheekpieces in Cheltenham and they lit him up.

This is his playground, though, isn't it? "It's probably the best he ever jumped. The cheekpieces definitely help him at this stage of his life – in front, anyway.

It's probably helping his longevity that he keeps a little bit in the locker, but we all need to be kept focused on the job now and again. "I'm a very, very lucky man. I have a lovely photo in the kitchen at home of this guy, Galopin Des Champs and I Am Maximus – the three of them in the yard last year.

After the Grand National last month, I remember sitting down looking up at it, and they'd all been beaten at Cheltenham and Aintree, and it really came home to me then how lucky I was last year." Willie Mullins waves to the crowd after State Man's win at the Punchestown festival Credit: Patrick McCann Willie Mullins was over the moon, too. "It's the performance we always thought he had in him," he said.

"In fairness to Constitution Hill, I think he didn't turn up on the day. It's very hard to travel from Britain after having two falls and things just didn't go right for him. "Our fella has run his true race and that's been a constant thing in his racing life, he always turns up and runs his race.

He's just genuine without ever being flashy, but I think the cheekpieces have made him a bit flashier than he used to be. We're just delighted." Constitution Hill in the Grade 1 Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown Credit: Patrick McCann Constitution Hill and James Bowen are led back after a disappointing run Credit: Patrick McCann A visibly distraught Nicky Henderson tried to find the words to explain what he had seen from Constitution Hill, who was examined by an IHRB vet post-race and found to have grazes to his right hind cannonbone and to be sore.

"It's disappointing but it's a tough game," the crestfallen trainer said. "It was sad he had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. He was beaten two out and James looked after him.

Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery. "He's got such a great mind, nothing worries him, but you can't look inside his head. He's very uncomplicated, unflustered and his work was good.

He was travelling well turning in but then it was like flicking a switch." It seems you can just flick a switch with State Man. When you turn him on, he is extremely hard to beat.

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