Tag Archive for: Constitution Hill

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.”

Henderson expects Leopardstown events to make Cheltenham picture clearer

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Nicky Henderson expects to have a clearer idea of who will prove the main danger to Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle after this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.

Constitution Hill is unbeaten under rules, making light work of a string of Grade One races when winning by facile margins, with the six-year-old a hot favourite at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Henry de Bromhead’s Honeysuckle has dominated the contest in the past three seasons but after losing her undefeated record to Teahupoo at Fairyhouse in December, she is on a redemption mission as she clashes with Willie Mullins’ State Man in Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Constitution Hill winning at the Cheltenham Festival last year
Constitution Hill winning at the Cheltenham Festival last year (Mike Egerton/PA)

Henderson expects the contest to provide a better picture of the Champion Hurdle field and further inform his decision on where to send Epatante, winner of the race in 2020 before being placed behind Honeysuckle for the past two years.

Epatante was well beaten by Constitution Hill in both the Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle, but landed a Grade Two mares’ event at Doncaster by six and a half lengths last week.

Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, Henderson said of Constitution Hill: “The only thing that’s really happened since the Christmas Hurdle that would encourage you is that Epatante, who has been running round and finishing quite a way behind him on the last two occasions, comes out and, admittedly against much, much weaker opposition, but in a Grade Two hurdle last Saturday she won as far as she liked.

“That actually proves that Constitution Hill has been beating something, that’s about the only thing that has changed since Christmas.

“Epatante will go for the Mares’ Hurdle or the Champion Hurdle, I haven’t spoken much to JP (McManus, owner) about that but she proved she stayed two and a half (miles) and won really nicely at Aintree last year.

Epatante at Doncaster
Epatante at Doncaster (Richard Sellers/PA)

“We’ll see what JP wants to do, you’ve got Epatante there as a back up if Constitution needs a back up. That’s going to be very interesting, to see what happens this weekend and see how they all get on.

“Honeysuckle and Willie’s horse (State Man) will tell us quite a lot and I think the decision on Epatante will probably be made as a result of what we see there.”

Henderson is also expecting the Arkle field to take shape after the Dublin Racing Festival, with the current favourite Jonbon set to head to Warwick for the Grade Two Kingmaker before preparing for the Festival in March.

Jonbon heads the Arkle market
Jonbon heads the Arkle market (Steven Paston/PA)

“Jonbon is in good form, he worked yesterday and will school tomorrow,” he said.

“He’s on course for Warwick, he’s in great shape actually. He just wants one more run, he’s had a nice freshen up since the Henry VIII and hopefully this will put him right for the Arkle.

“We will be watching quite carefully, the good thing is that Constitution Hill and Jonbon don’t have televisions in their boxes so they won’t know what’s going on!”

‘Almost certainly’ straight to Cheltenham now for Constitution Hill

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Nicky Henderson is set to chart a direct route to Cheltenham with Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill.

The six-year-old is the 1-5 market leader for the Festival highlight in March after another wide-margin success in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, routing stablemate Epatante by 17 lengths – an increase of five lengths on his Fighting Fifth verdict over the crack mare.

Henderson had mentioned the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on January 21 as a possible stopping point for his star hurdler, while the Irish Champion Hurdle takes place at Leopardstown on February 5. But neither option looks likely now.

The Seven Barrows handler would have been keen to run at Cheltenham had the International Hurdle that was originally scheduled for December 10 been resurrected, but that is not a possibility, despite Henderson raising the idea.

He told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast: “We’ve ummed and ahhed a fair bit, I did have what I thought was quite a bright idea but it doesn’t quite come off and I can understand why, but I did sort of enquire whether we might have the International Hurdle that was abandoned rescheduled on Trials Day at Cheltenham.

“If that had been possible I would have gone there with him, but I really don’t like the idea of Haydock and so I think almost certainly Constitution Hill will not run again before Cheltenham.

“He’s obviously very good fresh, he was very good the first time this year in the Fighting Fifth. Last year we went from the Tolworth to Cheltenham and you couldn’t have had him any better so I really don’t see any point, there’s nothing to be gained.

“I might have an open day or something so people can come and see him – I would have thought that was a possibility.”

Epatante is a previous Champion Hurdle winner
Epatante is a previous Champion Hurdle winner (David Davies/PA)

Epatante won the Champion Hurdle in 2020 and finished third and second to Honeysuckle in subsequent renewals, but having been comprehensively beaten twice by Constitution Hill, her future plans have yet to be decided – with similar comments applied to Relkeel Hurdle third First Street.

Henderson added: “We haven’t discussed (Cheltenham) with Epatante yet, we will see what she does. First Street is a difficult one – I mean where does he go? He’s on the verge of it, but he didn’t stay two and a half on that ground on the weekend. You would enter him anyway. He’s a very decent horse.”

Seven Barrows houses the Relkeel victor Marie’s Rock, who is on course to defend her Mares’ Hurdle title at the Festival before a potential step up to three miles in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree.

Marie’s Rock won the Relkeel on New Year's Day
Marie’s Rock won the Relkeel on New Year’s Day (David Davies/PA)

Henderson said: “What I would really like to do with her is go to Cheltenham, I would love her to defend her title, and then I would seriously think about going to Aintree and trying her over three.

“We’ve always talked about it and everything did go swimmingly well, you find Constitution Hill coming into the the two-and-a-half-mile at Aintree.

“Are we tempted to put her in the Stayers’ (at Cheltenham)? The answer is probably no, we would stick to the Mares’ and then (look at Aintree) not just because of Constitution Hill, but because we’ve genuinely always discussed whether she would stay three.”

Jonbon will head to Warwick for his Festival prep
Jonbon will head to Warwick for his Festival prep (Steven Paston/PA)

Jonbon was 22 lengths behind Constitution Hill when second in the Supreme last season, but has made a seamless switch to fences this campaign, cruising to victory on his chasing bow at Warwick before sealing a ready eight-length verdict upped to Grade One level at Sandown at the beginning of December.

A Warwick return on February 11 is now his agenda.

Henderson said: “Jonbon will go to the Kingmaker at Warwick which is the only race he can run in really. He’s been round there once and it’s a good jumping test – I think that would do him good.”

Former two-mile star Shishkin is set to step up in trip at Kempton later this month after a disappointing return in the Tingle Creek, with Henderson not even entering him for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, instead opting to put him in the two-and-a-half-mile Ryanair Chase, plus the three-and-a-quarter-mile Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He added: “The plan at the moment is to go to Kempton on Saturday week for the Silviniaco Conti over two and a half miles.”

Constitution Hill and Epatante take festive exertions in their stride

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Nicky Henderson is “juggling balls in the air” as he reported Constitution Hill and Epatante to have come out of their Christmas clash in good shape.

Ante-post Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill was the undoubted star of the show, maintaining his unbeaten record under rules with another emphatic victory over stablemate Epatante in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day.

Constitution Hill enjoyed a Kempton cruise on Boxing Day
Constitution Hill enjoyed a Kempton cruise on Boxing Day (John Walton/PA)

Speaking at Newbury on Saturday, Henderson said: “They are all fine and have all come out of their races very well. They are all happy. We are just sort of juggling all the balls in the air.”

On the likely Cheltenham target for Epatante, who won the Champion Hurdle in 2020, the Seven Barrows trainer said: “I don’t know what we will do with Epatante. JP (McManus, owner) will make that decision in due course.

“She will be in the Champion Hurdle and I suspect she will be in the Mares’ (Hurdle) as well.”

Christmas Hurdle proves cruise control for Constitution Hill

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Constitution Hill once again made winning a top-level race look easy as he breezed to a 17-length success in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

National Hunt racing’s new star had beaten stablemate Epatante – herself a previous dual Christmas Hurdle winner – by 12 lengths at Newcastle in the Fighting Fifth and the two met again, much to Nicky Henderson’s chagrin.

Briefly the mare looked to be in with a chance on this occasion, as Nico de Boinville just had to slightly niggle on the 1-7 favourite to go forward as they turned into the straight.

But just as at Newcastle, once Constitution Hill was asked a question he responded in kind, and gradually drew further and further clear.

A spring-heeled leap at the last sealed matters and he remains Paddy Power and Betfair’s 4-11 favourite for the Champion Hurdle in March, with Coral unchanged at 2-7.

Henderson said “That was only his fifth race and again it was everything you’d hoped for.

“You just have to pray it all goes right, it’s not that easy, it’s not just a matter of going out there and coming back, you’ve got to jump hurdles and be in good shape – which he is – but so was Epatante, I haven’t seen her look better.

“Aidan (Coleman) said she’s probably run better than when she won this on the bridle last year, but he said he was only chasing shadows so it shows you what he is achieving – it’s frightening really.”

Regarding the future he said: “They’ve taken away my favourite race, the Contenders at Sandown, which was only worth two and six but was the perfect Champion Hurdle trial. I can’t think we really want to go to Haydock, Nico said Ireland (Irish Champion Hurdle) but let’s just have a look and see. It’s either that or nothing I would say.

“The one good thing this year is that we have four weeks between Cheltenham and Aintree so we could step him up to two and a half at Aintree.

“I know everybody wants to see him, but where can you go? I don’t think Wincanton is the right place for him and Haydock certainly isn’t in my opinion – but he doesn’t need to and there’s no point doing something you don’t need to do.

“He can go there (Cheltenham) fresh no problem, but we’ll get today over with and it’s the one we needed in the bag. Nico said turning in that he was actually dossing and then he pressed the button and off he went. He was having a nice time – he’s quick and fast and accurate and at the moment there’s no chinks in that armour because he’s got such a great mind.

“He was on his toes today actually which was more than I’ve seen before, but he’s so relaxed at home and Shauna who rides him every day has done a brilliant job with him. The horse is just cool and that’s the only word you can call him – he’s cool and talented!

“You’d have to think about Ireland, but it’s nothing to do with ducking and diving – which is becoming a stupid phrase which I wish they’d ban! My gut feeling was always that we’d go straight there, I don’t think we’d achieve anything by going to Haydock. If the Contenders was still here I’d go there, but Cheltenham and Aintree is what it’s all about now. It’s a very truncated season with four runs, but that’s what its come down to unless we travel and Punchestown is too close to Aintree to go there.”

Nico de Boinville celebrates on Constitution Hill
Nico de Boinville celebrates on Constitution Hill (John Walton/PA)

“Sensational” was how De Boinville described the winner.

“Horses like him don’t come around very often – he is just sensational,” he said. “He can do it any way and I don’t think you can beat him how he is at moment.”

Coleman said of Epatante: “She is running her races. She ran great, travelled and jumped but just couldn’t go with the winner. That is four or five goes in a row he has done that so credit where credit is due. His performances are freakish but my mare ran really well.

“I suppose the Mares’ Hurdle has always been talked about. She is a fantastic mare in her own right and has run another great race. Her last 13 races have all been in Grade Ones and she has been a fantastic mare. What she does now I’m not sure, but hopefully we are not done yet.

“I think her performances are similar to last season and she won three Grade Ones last season. I don’t think she has always got the credit she deserves. She has been around a long time and won a lot of Grade Ones. She has been a very good mare, unfortunately she has now just got him to contend with.”

Henderson hoping for Christmas masterclass from Constitution Hill

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Nicky Henderson is feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement as the brilliant Constitution Hill prepares to strut his stuff once more in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

The five-year-old looked a star in the making last season, with 14 and 12-length Sandown wins followed by a scarcely believable 22-length romp in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

And having seen his charge pick up where he left off in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle last month, Henderson recognises anything less than fireworks on Boxing Day will leave many underwhelmed.

“He seems to be absolutely fine. He did a bit of work last week, Nico (de Boinville) rode him then and Sean who rides him all the time is very happy with him,” the Seven Barrows handler told Unibet.

“It’s difficult because everybody is getting to the point where only one thing will satisfy everybody, so he’s going to have to keep producing these ridiculous performances. Let’s hope he can.

“You are very lucky to find horses like these. It was the same with Sprinter Sacre and Altior so there is no point bemoaning the fact people want to know about them, I’m enjoying it and I hope Michael (Buckley, owner) is too.

“The trouble is these horses are so fickle, everything has got to keep going the right way. His last three performances were pretty amazing by any standards and he’s got to keep at that level and keep in one piece too – that’s where we come in.

“There’s a certain amount of responsibility and a certain amount of trepidation about it.”

The biggest threat to Constitution Hill appears to be his stablemate Epatante, who is no slouch herself as a Champion Hurdle heroine and dual Christmas Hurdle winner.

Epatante winning last year's Christmas Hurdle
Epatante winning last year’s Christmas Hurdle (Steven Paston/PA)

But she was 12 lengths behind Constitution Hill when bidding for a third Fighting Fifth last month – and after an intended tilt at Cheltenham’s International Hurdle was scuppered by the weather, Henderson has little option but to let them lock horns once more.

He added: “Epatante is in very good form herself. She won this last year by miles and is a very good mare.

“Having missed the International, we are almost forced to run her – there’s nowhere else to go.

“I was quite keen to try her over further, but they (owner JP McManus’ team) were quite keen to run again and the prize-money is good, so they’ll take each other on.

“At least they can’t say we are ducking and diving!”

Metier winning the November Handicap at Doncaster
Metier winning the November Handicap at Doncaster (Nigel French/PA)

Alan King saddles stable stalwart Sceau Royal, while Harry Fry’s Metier reverts to the jumping game after winning the November Handicap on the Flat at Doncaster.

“We were delighted with that run back on the Flat at Doncaster and we’ve been waiting for his conditions,” Fry told Sky Sports Racing.

“Like so many others, plans A, B and C have gone out the window. We were training him for Ascot last weekend and he was in at Lingfield on Monday, which was sadly lost to the weather as well.

“This was not necessarily high up on our list of races, but he’s ready to run and needs to run. We’re taking our chance and with a clear round, hopefully we can pick up a bit of prize-money.

“He won so well at Lingfield last year on their valuable Winter Million card and we’re hoping to go back there with him.”

Chris Gordon’s outsider Highway One O Two completes the line-up.