Tag Archive for: Champion Hurdle

Mullins joins everyone else in being in awe of Constitution Hill

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Willie Mullins hailed Constitution Hill as “a proper champion hurdler” after watching Nicky Henderson’s charge take apart the field in the first day highlight at the Cheltenham Festival.

The perennial Irish champion trainer fielded second-favourite State Man in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, with the Irish raider sent off a 7-2 shot in comparison to Constitution Hill’s 4-11 favourite tag.

State Man tracked Constitution Hill and briefly looked set to make a race of it turning for home – but the instant reaction when Nico de Boinville pushed the button on the market leader left State Man and jockey Paul Townend trailing in his wake.

State Man, who came into the race on the back of four Grade One wins and six successive victories in total, went down by nine lengths to the Michael Buckley-owned Constitution Hill, who was having his first run since winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

Mullins said: “We ran very well, we just met a proper champion hurdler.

“We were happy, we’ve no excuses. Well done to Nicky and Michael and the team.

“Nico gave him a brave man’s ride. He set out and had the confidence he was on the best horse.

“I’m delighted for all the connections.”

Townend admitted he knew he was beaten some way out, lauding the winner as an “outstanding horse”.

He said: “We ran well. We were running for second I thought from a long way out.

“Nico was doing everything easily in front of me and all credit to the winner and his connections – they have an outstanding horse.

“From the back of the second-last, when Nico started to open up his lad, he was just getting further and further away from me.

“I have nothing but admiration for him (Constitution Hill).”

Constitution Hill (front right) had his Cheltenham rivals well beaten
Constitution Hill (front right) had his Cheltenham rivals well beaten (David Davies/PA)

Gordon Elliott saddled 66-1 shot Zanahiyr to finish third and he was more than happy with the result.

He said: “It was a great run to finish third behind a horse like the winner. There is a good chance he could go to Aintree and step back up to two and a half miles next month.

“He was still in with a big chance at that meeting last year but unluckily fell at the last hurdle. It would be great to see him make amends.”

Rich Ricci, owner of fourth home Vauban, was similarly impressed with the unbeaten Constitution Hill.

He said: “I think we might have been third but we tried to win the race and in the end we had no chance against a freak of a horse, and I say that in the nicest way, as he (the winner) is very, very good.”

Constitution Hill faces State Man as seven line up in Champion Hurdle

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Hot favourite Constitution Hill will take on six rivals in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

The Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old has been sensational since making his debut at Sandown in December 2021, winning all five of his starts under rules, including the last four at the top level.

He has not raced since sauntering to a 17-length defeat of stablemate Epatante in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but is long odds-on to give Henderson a ninth victory in the extended two-mile showpiece.

Willie Mullins saddles State Man, who has a little more experience and is unbeaten in six completed outings for his Closutton trainer after falling on his Irish debut.

State Man is one of two Willie Mullins' representatives in the Champion Hurdle
State Man is one of two Willie Mullins’ representatives in the Champion Hurdle (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

State Man has similarly won his last four Grade One contests and heads to Prestbury Park as the Irish Champion Hurdle winner.

Mullins is double-handed with last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban lining up, while Gordon Elliott is responsible for Zanahiyr, who finished third in the race last year but has subsequently been disqualified.

Phil Kirby has declared Jason The Militant, while Nigel Twiston-Davies relies on I Like To Move It, who won the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in November and also the Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on his last run.

The field is completed by Not So Sleepy, who represents Hughie Morrison.

Henderson hoping for royal approval on the march to Cheltenham riches

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Unquestionably Constitution Hill would be the best chance. Jonbon would hold a fair shout. A victory for Marie’s Rock, Shishkin, Luccia or Epatante would be a bonus.

Yet arguably victory for any of those Nicky Henderson runners at the Cheltenham Festival would not give the Seven Barrows handler more delight than seeing Steal A March land the Pertemps Network Final.

The eight-year-old is one of five – or possibly six – runners the 72-year-old Lambourn handler will saddle in the race on March 17, insisting with a customary chuckle: “I’m doing a Willie Mullins.”

Unlike his good friend and rival Mullins, and while not averse to running stablemates against each other, Henderson is seldom keen to tread that path.

However, he is blessed with a particularly strong team of hurdlers who have few options but to take each other on.

Hot Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill could be joined by a former winner of the race in Epatante, while First Street is another contender.

Marie’s Rock is a potential runner in an open-looking Stayers’ Hurdle, while Luccia heads a top team of novices, with Balco Coastal and Jonbon a pair of chasers who have massive potential.

Steal A March is a particular favourite, though. He gave Henderson huge satisfaction by winning a lowly Worcester handicap hurdle on June 4, as the Mount Nelson gelding provided the Queen with a winner during her Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations.

Barbers Shop produced some memorable results for Henderson and The Queen
Barbers Shop produced some memorable results for Henderson and The Queen (David Jones/PA)

Henderson and the Queen enjoyed some fantastic and hugely-popular successes together, most notably with the classy chaser Barbers Shop.

Now that the purple, scarlet and gold colours have been transferred to the King, they will be carried in the Pertemps, a fiercely-competitive handicap hurdle over three miles.

Henderson is looking forward to seeing a royal presence at the Festival in a race where he could saddle stablemates Scarpia, Walking On Air, Captain Morgs, Call Me Lord and Mill Green.

“I very much hope there will be some representatives of the owners, which will be good for racing and good for Cheltenham,” said Henderson.

“He won on Derby day, which was very special. We were all trying to get winners that weekend for the Queen.”

Steal A March was a narrow runner-up on his seasonal bow in a decent Newbury handicap and then scored at Wincanton on Boxing Day.

“He has always been capable,” added Henderson. “He has improved a fair bit all of a sudden.

“I like his chances in the Pertemps. We have got quite a strong team for the contest to be fair, but I was impressed with him the last time. It would be nice for the King should he win. It would be absolutely great for the sport.”

The team at Seven Barrows will hope that a winner or two will be in the bag by the time the Pertemps is run on the meeting’s third day.

“The first day is our strongest day, so we need something to happen on Tuesday, because it gets harder work from there on. We start panicking after that,” he quipped.

Yet there is no stronger favourite at the meeting than Constitution Hill, who will bid to give the trainer a record ninth success in the Champion Hurdle following the victories of See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur D’Air (2017, 2018) and Epatante (2020).

Unbeaten in five starts, he has barely been tested and was 17 lengths too good for Epatante on his last run in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park.

Nicky Henderson with Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill
Nicky Henderson with Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill (David Davies/PA)

He might potentially be the best in a very long line of superstars that Henderson has trained and arguably could become the highest-rated hurdler in history, higher even than the legendary Night Nurse.

Despite hearing all the perfectly valid reasons for thinking the Michael Buckley-owned six-year-old is the horse of a lifetime, Henderson is quick to quell such talk.

“Constitution Hill is doing freakish things, but he’s only had five runs in his life and you have to remember it is very early days in his career,” he said.

“Normally, when you are going to a Champion Hurdle, you go with a horse who has had 10 or 12 races or something.

“It is hard to gauge him really, except he has just done nothing wrong.

“He has a long way to go before I’d say he is potentially the best horse I’ve trained. It took me 10 years to say that Sprinter Sacre was.

“I like the involvement in a horse like this as you feel like you have achieved something, and people want to be part of a horse that has touched them somewhere.

“Horse racing is still a great sport and there is a great community involved. It is a great game that a lot of people really enjoy. What they do is appreciate very good people and very good horses.

“Everybody wants to know what he is up to in the village (Lambourn) but there are a lot of other horses here, and in other yards, that are just as important that have big days ahead.

“We all want him to be this superstar. We have been lucky having the Sprinters and Altiors, however you never get blase about it.”

Luccia is nominated as a horse with a big future
Luccia is nominated as a horse with a big future (David Davies/PA)

This time last year, Henderson nominated a horse outside of the obvious big guns that excited him. He offered up Marie’s Rock, who duly won the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.

Ask him the same question 12 months on and he replies: “I think Luccia looks pretty promising for the future. Steal A March would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

At the meeting considered the Olympics of National Hunt racing, over the years he has saddled 72 winners, including six in 2012.

The last time he came away from Prestbury Park without a victory was 2008, so it would be a major shock should he fail to add to the laurels in any of the 28 races.

And with only Mullins fielding a stronger team over the four days, Henderson is heading there with plenty of hope.

“Cheltenham is very special isn’t it? Anybody who is in this game can’t deny it,” he added.

“It’s the four days which we all look forward to. I know it gets over-hyped. It gets everywhere, but there’s nothing quite like it.

“We all look forward to it, but you are tip-toeing on eggshells in the build-up, hoping the horses stay sound. Getting them there fit, healthy and in one piece is a major job in itself, never mind winning.”

Constitution Hill tops 12 in Champion Hurdle contention

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Constitution Hill heads 12 confirmations for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Nicky Henderson’s charge is widely regarded as the pre-eminent star of National Hunt racing and will be a red-hot favourite to extend his unbeaten record under rules to six in the Festival’s day one feature.

The six-year-old won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by 22 lengths on the corresponding card last season and has since proved that was no fluke with similarly devastating displays in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton this season.

There are two previous winners of the race in the mix in the form of Epatante and Honeysuckle, but neither are expected to line up, with the familiar foes instead set to clash in the Mares’ Hurdle later in the afternoon.

In their anticipated absence, the biggest threat to Constitution Hill appears to be Irish Champion Hurdle hero State Man.

The Willie Mullins-trained chestnut has established himself as comfortably Ireland’s leading hope this season by winning the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and both the Matheson and Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown – dethroning Honeysuckle on the latter occasion.

State Man and Paul Townend winning the Irish Champion Hurdle
State Man and Paul Townend winning the Irish Champion Hurdle (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

Mullins is also set to be represented by Vauban, who won the Triumph Hurdle at last year’s Festival but has finished behind State Man in his last two races, while the veteran Sharjah also stood his ground.

Henderson could saddle First Street, although like Sharjah he has the option of running in the County Hurdle later in the week.

Gordon Elliott has left in both Zanahiyr and Pied Piper, while Greatwood and Kingwell Hurdle winner I Like To Move It has each-way claims for Nigel Twiston-Davies.

The potential field is completed by Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy and Jason The Militant from Phil Kirby’s yard.

Henderson eager to unleash ‘extraordinary’ Constitution Hill

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Nicky Henderson is facing a nervous four weeks until the Cheltenham Festival as he prepares to unleash the “extraordinary” Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

In little over a year, the son of Blue Bresil has emerged as the pre-eminent star of National Hunt racing, with two wide-margin novice hurdle wins at Sandown last winter followed by a jaw-dropping 22-length success in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March.

Any notion that blistering performance may have been a flash in the pan has been blown out of the water this season, with Constitution Hill slamming his 2020 Champion Hurdle-winning stablemate Epatante in both the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, ensuring he will return to the Cotswolds as a red-hot favourite to provide Henderson with a record ninth Champion Hurdle success.

The master of Seven Barrows again waxed lyrical when discussing the six-year-old after opening his doors to the media on Monday, but warned there is still plenty of water to pass under the bridge between now and the big day, with a racecourse gallop viewed as a crucial part of his preparation.

“Constitution Hill is fine and everything’s been going great. He worked on Saturday. He has a few more bits of work to do and he’ll probably have an away-day,” said Henderson.

“We usually go to Kempton. I would be thinking of Newbury, but the ground is too quick there at the moment anyway, so unless the weather changes dramatically, we’ll have to see if we can go to Kempton as I would like Constitution Hill to have a gallop.

“I would have loved to have run him and the Contenders Hurdle was lovely, but I think they got fed up with me! I was actually going to say I’ll have an open day and let people come and see him gallop, but someone said ‘don’t be stupid, you’d get a crowd and where are you going to put them all!’

“I really seriously thought of doing it, but I don’t think it’s feasible.”

Henderson has been at this game long enough to know nothing can be taken for granted, but in Constitution Hill he feels he has unearthed a rare talent with no flaws.

Constitution Hill is a superstar in the making
Constitution Hill is a superstar in the making (David Davies/PA)

He added: “He’s been around the track and broken records. He’s done most things and hasn’t done anything wrong, but there’s plenty that can go wrong and I think that’s the biggest issue.

“We all know between now and four weeks’ time, most days there’ll be a story that somebody’s out (of the Festival). You’ve just got to keep your fingers crossed and pray you’re going to get a clean run.”

Henderson admits it would be particularly satisfying to win a Champion Hurdle for Constitution Hill’s owner Michael Buckley, who is a long-time friend of the veteran trainer.

He said: “Michael has been with me an awful long time and we’ve had some wonderful times together, highs and lows.

“He’s had some very good horses actually, but he’s had some horrible luck along the way with horses like Spirit Son. I thought he was going to be a world beater and he died after a ridiculous accident while he was on holiday.

“We’ve had some great times with horses like Finian’s Rainbow and Brain Power, but this is an extraordinary animal.

“His greatest asset is his head – his whole mind game is absolutely brilliant.

“Nothing frightens him and you could go three miles with him if you wanted as you can just switch him off and he’d go to sleep. Then you wait for the right moment, Nico knows where the button is, you press the button and it works. It really is as simple as that.”

While keen not to look beyond Cheltenham, Henderson believes the world is Constitution Hill’s oyster.

Constitution Hill winning the Supreme Novices' Hurdle
Constitution Hill winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Mike Egerton/PA)

“He could go chasing, without a doubt. That will be a decision for the summer,” he added.

“You go back five or six years after Altior won the Supreme and Buveur D’Air finished third and we had to decide what to do.

“I said to Pat Pugh (Altior’s owner) ‘you will win the Champion Hurdle, but it’ll be too late to go chasing if we wait another year, so what do you want to do?’. We schooled him over fences and there was no doubt that he was a chaser.

“In the meantime Buveur D’Air went chasing as well and he didn’t find it as easy – he was hurdling fences and that’s always dangerous. So he went back over hurdles and won two Champion Hurdles.

“With Constitution Hill you could go chasing, you could go two and a half miles and you could even go three – I think you could go as far as you like.”

Nicky Henderson on the gallops
Nicky Henderson on the gallops (David Davies/PA)

Whether Constitution Hill will face opposition from his own yard at Cheltenham remains to be seen.

Epatante has been beaten 12 and 17 lengths by her stablemate so far this season and while she could take him on again following a recent confidence-boosting victory at Doncaster, she also has the option of running in the two-and-a-half-mile Mares’ Hurdle on the same day.

First Street, meanwhile, has the opportunity to earn himself a tilt at Champion Hurdle glory in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday.

Henderson said: “Epatante and First Street are still in it and First Street goes to the Kingwell on Saturday, which I think will be a good race for him. He’d have to win it very impressively to go for the Champion, but what else can you run in? I suppose you’d put him in the County, but we’ll see.

“We don’t know where Epatante goes at the moment, she’ll run in the Champion or the Mares’ Hurdle. We’ll keep an eye on the weather and Constitution Hill himself as he’s got to get there.

“The Champion Hurdle is four weeks tomorrow, which is a very long time away. A week is a long time in a horse’s life, four weeks is an eternity.”

Henderson looks on with interest at impressive State Man

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Nicky Henderson rates State Man a “very serious danger” to Constitution Hill’s Unibet Champion Hurdle challenge.

The Willie Mullins-trained runner accounted for dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle by just under five lengths in Sunday’s Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, prompting Coral to clip him into 3-1 from 4-1.

Henderson’s Constitution Hill remains the 1-4 favourite for the Festival contest though, having won his last three Grade Ones in a canter – landing the Supreme, Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdles by a combined 51 lengths.

With connections of Honeysuckle ruling out another Champion Hurdle bid for their star, the long-awaited face-off between that pair is now off the table. But Henderson was impressed with manner of State Man’s victory and believes it is going to be tricky to predict the likely outcome at Cheltenham.

Constitution Hill is a very skinny price for the Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill is a very skinny price for the Champion Hurdle (John Walton/PA)

He told Unibet: “Constitution Hill is sitting in his box, I didn’t let him see the race, but as far as the Champion Hurdle is concerned, it’s hard to tell really.

“You’ve got to say State Man was impressive and he’s certainly thrown down a very serious challenge to Constitution Hill et al, because there are going to be others – you never know what else could come out of the pack.

“Constitution is well but there’s no doubt State Man is going to be a very serious danger and it just makes for an intriguing Champion Hurdle. We’re all looking forward to it, with fingers crossed.”

Epatante ‘still a possible’ for Mares’ Hurdle after Henderson mistake

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Nicky Henderson believes Epatante must be treated as “still a possible runner” in the Mares’ Hurdle – despite her not featuring among the initial entries for the Cheltenham Festival contest.

The winner of the Champion Hurdle in 2020 before placing behind Honeysuckle the following two years, Epatante has been given the option of a third crack at stablemate Constitution Hill as one of 17 to put their name in the hat for the Unibet Champion Hurdle on March 14.

But Henderson admitted she should also have been given an entry for the mares-only Grade One 40 minutes later on the opening day card and is keen to point out the supplementary system gives her just as much chance of lining-up in that contest as the Champion Hurdle – and therefore should still be considered as a potential runner for betting purposes

He said: “She should have been entered, she was meant to be entered and as far as everyone is concerned she is still a possible runner because she can be supplemented.

“She should have been entered, it was my mistake, which is embarrassing.

“She is still a possible runner in the Mares’ Hurdle. Just because she is not in it, doesn’t mean she can’t run in it and she has got as much chance of running in it this afternoon as she had this morning.”

He continued: “The supplementary system is very good and she can still be supplemented, therefore she should be considered as an entry in my opinion. It’s my mistake and I apologise, but she should not be excluded from the betting in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire
Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire (Tim Goode/PA)

“Now I have no idea what race the intention of running in is, she should have been entered in both and she will run in one of the two, god willing. I can’t say which it will be because we don’t know and we wouldn’t know even if she had the entries for both races.

“But she must be considered as if she has been entered (for the Mares’), because we can supplement her at the five-day stage and we will do so if that is the race we want.”

Henderson, who is the Champion Hurdle’s leading trainer, could also be represented by Gerry Feilden winner First Street in the opening day feature while the Seven Barrows handler’s only other possible for the Mares’ Hurdle is defending champion Marie’s Rock, who is the current market leader at a best price of 5-2.