The story of Constitution Hill, reinvented as a Flat horse, promises to provide one of the most compelling subplots to the 2025/26 season. The second chapter of that tale played out on the Kempton Polytrack on Wednesday, 25th March.
The Nicky Henderson-trained superstar is no stranger to the Sunbury-on-Thames venue, having claimed the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle here in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This time, the nine-year-old faced the rather different assignment of the Class 3 Virgin Bet Novice Stakes over 1m4f. Having blown his rivals away on his flat debut at Southwell in February, could Constitution Hill add a second flat success to his impressive CV? As was the case at Southwell, a bumper crowd turned up to find out.
Speed Wins the Day
The uncertainty surrounding his ability as a flat horse saw Constitution Hill start at 6/4 at Southwell. Following that nine-length rout, the bookmakers were taking no such chances, seeing the eight-time Grade 1 winner start at odds of just 1/7. Having won nicely on debut at Southwell, the Andrew Balding-trained Classical Allusion was expected to provide the stiffest opposition, with the other six runners in the field priced at between 14/1 and 150/1.
In the hands of Ryan Moore, who stepped in for the suspended Oisin Murphy, Constitution Hill settled in midfield early, with his rider seemingly content to let the others do the donkey work. Roadlesstravelled made the running but was setting only a moderate gallop, placing the emphasis on closing speed rather than stamina. Having outstayed and outclassed his rivals at Southwell, would Constitution Hill have the turn of foot to pass this different type of test?
Constitution Hill remains unbeaten since switching codes onto the flat and wins comfortably under Ryan Moore @kemptonparkrace. pic.twitter.com/1ahrom5FBU
— Nicky Henderson (@sevenbarrows) March 25, 2026
Remembering that this is a horse bred for the jumps with two Cheltenham Festival wins to his name, his response when switched into the clear was impressive. Finding his stride, Constitution Hill quickened past Star Allusion to score by two lengths under only hands and heels riding. Not as emphatic as at Southwell, but a perfectly satisfactory display given the sedate pace and speed-favouring nature of the Kempton track.
Trainer and Jockey Happy
Coming home in front, Constitution Hill sent the Kempton crowd home happy, while jockey and trainer were understandably pleased with this performance. Reflecting on his first ride on the most famous horse in the sport, Moore stated:
“He’s a gentleman, and I think the horse has enjoyed his runs on the flat. He moved well, and I think there’s a bit more improvement to come from him, so I’d say they’ll be happy with that.”
While confessing he didn’t see an awful lot – due to his unfamiliarity with watching racing under the lights – Henderson was happy to hear that Constitution Hill was at least enjoying his racing again:
“He’s had a year of not enjoying his racing terribly, you can understand why. If he’s enjoying that, then that’s great for us.”
Next Stop Newbury
Following the news that Constitution Hill would continue his racing career as a flat horse, the most obvious targets to spring to mind were the two-mile events of the Ebor Handicap and the Melbourne Cup, with an ambitious tilt at the Ascot Gold Cup over 2m4f also mentioned.
However, it now seems more likely that the Blue Bresil gelding will remain at 1m4f. Hinting at future plans, Henderson appeared to pour cold water on those 2m+ targets when stating:
“We think this is as far as he needs to go. We wouldn’t be rushing to go two miles, put it like that. If you thought that something like the Sagaro might have been on the agenda, I’d say probably not.”
If remaining at 1m4f and opting to test the Group race waters, the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes at Newbury on 18th April would look like an obvious next step. Officially titled the John Porter Stakes, the race kicks off the second day of the Spring Trials fixture, which gets the season underway at the Berkshire venue.
Standout names on the recent John Porter roll of honour include Harbinger (2010) and Defoe (2018), each of whom progressed to score in Group 1 company. Whether Constitution Hill goes on to scale those heights remains to be seen. However, his age needn’t be a barrier to Newbury success, with the John Porter falling to the eight-year-olds Yavana’s Pace (2000) and Hamish (2024), and the nine-year-old Mubtaker in 2006.
