The Constitution Hill conundrum: should he go in the Champion Hurdle?
A decision on whether Constitution Hill will run in next month's Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham is expected later this week. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
As the dust begins to settle after Constitution Hill's spectacular Southwell success on the Flat, trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley must now decide whether or not the nine-year-old lines up in the Champion Hurdle next month.
A decision is expected after a schooling session this week and while the words of both trainer and owner over the weekend suggest they're leaning towards running at Cheltenham, it's clear they're wrestling with a seriously high-stakes dilemma given the horse has fallen on three of his last four starts over obstacles, a litany of woe that began in last year's Champion Hurdle. Here are some of the considerations.
Only Constitution Hill could turn an evening Flat meeting in February into a box-office event. The Southwell experiment was a timely reminder of his brilliance and, on the back of such a swashbuckling performance, the possibility of the biggest week on the racing calendar taking place without the presence of the most talented jumps horse in training seems unthinkable, akin to Hamlet without the prince.
With due respect to The New Lion, Brighterdaysahead, Lossiemouth, and reigning Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace, they're playing for minor honours if Constitution Hill rocks up and stands up.
Brighterdaysahead did produce a Constitution Hill-esque display when winning at Leopardstown the Christmas before last but even a repeat of that monster performance probably won't be enough if Constitution Hill runs to the level he ran to when thrashing State Man in the 2023 Champion Hurdle.
And it definitely won't be enough if he replicates his jaw dropping runaway 2022 Supreme Novices' Hurdle demolition job. Alot of water has gone under the bridge since those Festival triumphs but the Southwell success proved the engine remains as potent as ever. If his jumping holds up, he just wins.
Given his jumping gremlins over the last year, it's easy to see why some people are uneasy about the prospect of Constitution Hill facing obstacles again. However, if the sport goes down the route that a high-profile horse that faÄŗls is too valuable to risk again, where do we draw a line?
By that logic Moscow Flyer would have been denied the chance to regain the Champion Chase crown he surrendered when falling at the 2004 Festival. Kauto Star wouldn't have got the chance to win the Gold Cup once, let alone twice, after his early exit in the 2006 Champion Chase. It's also worth remembering he went on to enjoy some of his most celebrated victories after falling in the 2010 Gold Cup.
Ultimately it comes down to this: What message does it send to those outside the National Hunt bubble if it's considered unsafe for the biggest equine name in the sport to do the thing that saw him become the biggest equine name in the sport in the first place? The answer in a nutshell is not a good one.
In truth nobody was quite sure what to expect from Constitution Hill last Friday. What he produced was utterly stunning. In winning by nine and a half lengths, he proved that the fire still burns and that he retains most, if not all, of the ability he had in his pomp. On the back of that, it feels wrong to deny him the chance of Champion Hurdle redemption.
The worst-case scenario is unthinkable but unfortunately Henderson and Buckley have to think about it. Given his jumping travails over the last year, should Constitution Hill suffer a fatal fall on the biggest stage of all, the fallout will be vicious and massively damaging for the sport.
Thatās a reality both men are intensely aware of. As Buckley put it on Racing TV's Luck on Sunday programme: āWe are both decent people I think and we certainly care like hell about our horses. We don't want to see the horse fall or do something that threatens his very existence and we certainly want to do something that hurts Nico (de Boinville, jockey).ā While nobody can doubt that every effort has been made to iron out Constitution Hillās jumping issues, itās impossible to guarantee that they wonāt re-emerge in the heat of battle.
While thereās little doubt Constitution Hill is the most talented horse in the Champion Hurdle mix, that will only matter if gets round. Henderson made an interesting point at the weekend when he pointed out that Constitution Hill is fundamentally a good jumper. The problem, however, is when he gets one wrong, he really gets one wrong. If he gets the green light to run in the Champion Hurdle, his supportersā hearts will be in their mouths on the approach to all eight obstacles.
Whisper it quietly but there is a world beyond Cheltenham and Constitution Hill showed at Southwell that he can be a force to be reckoned with when those pesky obstacles are not in his way. On Sunday, Buckley outlined an exciting programme later this year that would culminate in the Melbourne Cup.
"I think the horse should be running around about the end of August or beginning of September, either in the Ebor (at York), or there's a race at Goodwood, or in the Irish St Leger (at the Curragh), with a view to going to Melbourne,ā he said.
And given the horse was too traumatised to himself justice when he lined up at Punchestown last May on the back of falls at Cheltenham and Aintree, Irish racegoers would relish the chance to see the best version of Constitution Hill strut his stuff.
