A look ahead to what to expect in racing next year
DILEMMA: Trainer Aidan O’Brien will have to confront his usual early Flat season dilemma in May. Pic: Healy Racing
Constitution Hill takes another lazy roll on his comfy bedding, his tenth of the year so far and it’s not yet nine in the morning on New Year’s Day.
Back on his feet he ambles over to the open half-door of his stable and gazes on the yard outside.
Nicky Henderson’s third lot are assembling in front of him, the younger geldings nattering excitedly while older soldiers circle silently. Constitution Hill looks on enviously. “Leave him where he is, he stays in his box today!” commands Henderson gruffly as he rounds a corner. “Thought I noticed a raincloud over Lambourn last night. Could turn a trifle soft. Not worth the risk.”
He’s interrupted mid-flow by the arrival of a delivery lorry. The driver leans out: “Where would you like me to drop all this the cotton wool, Guv?” he asks.
Honeysuckle is heading home to Waterford following a day out at the Dublin Racing Festival and is as pleased as punch with herself.
Earlier at Leopardstown she’d won the Grade One Champion Hurdle for a fourth time and removed all remaining uncertainty surrounding her title defence at Cheltenham next month. “That’ll teach those no-nothing knuckleheads to doubt me” she thinks.
“The cheek of them, anyway, writing off the brilliant Honeysuckle after just one defeat.” About halfway down the M9 she notices that they are passing the Bagnelstown exit. ‘Mullins country,’ she remembers, with a slight shudder of trepidation. State Man is just over the hedge. “Well, boy, I’ll be soon coming for you too’ she spits.
The Cheltenham Festival has started spectacularly well for the Irish.
Facile Vega won the Supreme in a common canter and Dysart Dynamo turned over the odds-on favourite Jonbon in the next race, The Arkle. The third, the Ultima Handicap Chase had just been won by Emmet Mullins with a horse that few had even heard of three months ago. Now, down at the start of the Champion Hurdle, Honeysuckle assesses her opponents.
State Man struts around, full of all that usual ‘look at me’ Closhutton arrogance, she notices and is astonished that Constitution Hill looks so toned, fit and ready to run for his life. After the predictable couple of fussy false starts they’re finally on their way. Three minutes later as she turns to face the hill, Honeysuckle hears the coarse commentator roar above the excited din of the crowd: “The big three approach the last in a line together!” She lowers her head, sticks her neck out and prepares to go to war one more time.
It’s a couple of weeks since Delta Work won the Aintree National and over three since Rory McIlroy battered a strong field to win his first Masters title. Punchestown is upon us.
Willie Mullins has decided to keep Facile Vega in novice company, Honeysuckle has headed off to motherhood and Nicky Henderson has concluded that as there were “no more suitable races for him this season” so Constitution Hill is fattening up nicely on spring grass somewhere nice and safe.
State Man is the short-priced favourite to collect massive prizemoney in the very unsuitable Grade One Champion Hurdle.
A couple of days earlier his stablemate, Galopin Des Champs followed up on his scintillating victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup by winning the Punchestown version and could indeed be the latest next Arkle after all.
State Man wins easily to clinch the trainer’s championship for Willie yet again. Gordon Elliot clenches his teeth and smiles sweetly for the camera.
Aidan O’Brien confronts his usual early Flat season dilemma and it never gets any easier for him. He lies awake into the wee small hours, tossing and turning, churning his options. Who to run and where?
The first problem to be solved is the upcoming 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and currently there are two potential solutions scorching the Ballydoyle gallops. Auguste Rodin or Little Big Bear?
The norm in horseracing is to use a numerical rating to assess a horse’s true ability but O’Brien has developed his own customised method over the years - ‘a hierarchy of adjectives’ in which he grades his horses into four divisions: ‘Proper, Serious, Dangerous or Brilliant.’ Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear have already proved to be ‘serious’ as juveniles and with a bit of luck both could easily progress to ‘brilliant’ in their classic year. Aidan finally decides: Bear goes for the Guineas, while Auguste will be routed to Epsom for the Derby.
Time proves him to be correct on both counts.
Six months ago, just before Christmas, two of the greatest horsemen the sport has ever known announced their retirements. Davy Russell dismounted from Liberty Dance after victory in a novice hurdle at Thurles and effectively said: ‘that’s it for me, I’m done.’ Over and out. Finito. Críochnaithe. About the same time Frankie Dettori also stated that he was going to call it a day - at the end of 2023.
This was a risky strategy for such a famously introverted character and he now must endure a 12 month lap of honour where he will be at the centre of attention wherever he shows up. ‘Frankie’s Last Derby’ brings no joy as Ryan Moore wins easily on Auguste Rodin, so it’s quickly on to ‘Frankie’s Last Royal Ascot.’ The brilliant Italian easily outshines the recently crowned King Charles III on the new monarch’s first visit to the meeting as head honcho. Racegoers plead with Dettori for some last flying dismounts. They are not disappointed.
The decision to move the Irish Derby back to Sunday for the first time in a dozen years proves to be an inspired one. The attendance is well up, Auguste Rodin adds his star quality to the day and easily wins the premier home classic. Aidan O’Brien is plunged into more sleepless nights.
Should his now ‘dangerous’ colt head next for the King George, the Leger or be put away for a tilt at the Arc in October? Thankfully, Little Big Bear wins the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown a week later proving that he stays more than a mile and he should be able to hoover up all the major ten-furlong Group Ones. So, Paris it is then for Auguste.
Shark Hanlon had considered sending Hewick to defend his Galway Plate but eventually decided against it. His popular eight-year went on to win the American Grand National last year before running a solid second to Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but even a soul as fearless and imaginative as The Shark figured that such a massive concession was a bit much to ask.
The race is won by an Emmet Mullin’s trained horse that few have yet heard of. The summer sun shines warmly and Doreen from Durrow, still hoping to catch the judge’s eye in the ‘Best Dressed’ competition says that she wished that the ‘oul global warming thing’ had happened years ago.
It still feels odd that the hurling and football are done and dusted by the time the kids traipse moodily back to school. But at least in Waterford they have a spring in their step this year. Hot on the heels of all that Davy Fitz motivational magic in the hurling, Henry De Bromhead has confirmed that Honeysuckle is with foal.
Champions weekend at Leopardstown and The Curragh are run in blazing sunshine and Tadgh from Tullow says that he wished that the ‘oul global warming thing’ had happened years ago. Little Big Bear wins the Champion Stakes and the better class two-year-olds are now out and about.
Aidan O’Brien reckons his winners in the National and Moyglare Stakes on the Sunday are proper horses.
Constitution Hill is back in work after his summer break but Nicky Henderson rivals Pep Guardiola in his abhorrence for weight gain. He feels that it is most unlikely that his stable star will be fit enough to run before Christmas.
Auguste Rodin wins the Arc by five lengths and Aidan O’Brien describes it as a brilliant performance by a brilliant colt.
As the month progresses the racing pages clutter with news from the traditional early season National Hunt stable tours. Gordon Elliot says he never really thinks or cares too much about becoming champion trainer, then adds that his plan this season is to “start a bit slower this year and to try time his run to Punchestown in April a little better."
The Flat season ends with the Breeders Cup weekend, back at Santa Anita for the first time since 2019 and the Americans breathe a sigh of relief. The track at Keeneland last year was much too sympathetic to the Europeans with Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby winning a half-dozen races between then and taking home the guts of ten million dollars.
The race is run in beautiful autumn Californian sunshine but Chuck from Chatanooga says that ‘ole global warming thingy’ is merely an invention by the main-stream media.
In a brilliant day of racing at Kempton Park, Galopin Des Champs strolls to victory in the King George Chase and, happily, Nicky was able to get Constitution Hill ready after all for a repeat win in the Christmas Hurdle.
He’s concerned that running him in Ireland in February might be a bit soon for his hero but promises to give it due consideration.
At the ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year’ show a special lifetime achievement award is presented to the retiring Frankie Dettori.
They run a film montage to celebrate some of his finest days in the saddle. His resilience as Fantastic Light edges past a battling Galileo in the shadow of the Leopardstown winning post. His work of art on Golden Horn in the Arc, where from a draw nearer to the Eiffel Tower than the Longchamp Grandstand Dettori still plots a brilliantly dangerous route to victory.
A deserved award to a brilliant jockey, already being missed.
