The 2025/26 National Hunt campaign is now well underway, but not all of jumps racing’s stars have made their return to the track. Last weekend saw the Cheltenham Gold Cup king Inothewayurthinkin reappear in the John Durkan Memorial Chase. Switching from fences to hurdles, next week marks the seasonal debut of the horse many still believe is the most talented two-mile star in training.
We are, of course, referring to the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill. First appearing for Seven Barrows in December 2021, the Blue Bresil gelding waltzed to a 14-length win on debut. Constitution Hill then rattled off a series of blindingly brilliant hurdling displays, including a 22-length win in the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and a nine-length rout in the 2023 Champion Hurdle.
Then came the first bump in the road, with a series of ailments seeing the then 175-rated star miss almost all of the 2023/24 campaign. Amidst swirling rumours of subpar gallops, Constitution Hill made his return in the 2024 Christmas Hurdle and went on to enjoy a full – albeit only partially successful – season.
2024/25: Winning in Winter, Off the Rails in Spring
2024/25 began in familiar fashion, with victories in the Christmas Hurdle and the International Hurdle extending his winning sequence to 10. The first sign of trouble arrived at the end of that latter contest, with a blunder at the final hurdle giving backers and jockey Nico de Boinville an almighty fright.
Unfortunately, those jumping errors returned at the major spring festivals. Falling four from home in the Champion Hurdle, he then repeated the trick at the second last in the Aintree Hurdle. Worse was to follow. His first trip to Ireland resulted in a 27-length fifth of six effort in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. What had happened to the seemingly unbeatable Constitution Hill of old?
Galloping Back to the Top in 2025/26
Keen to get to the bottom of his flagship star’s woes, Nicky Henderson has left no stone unturned. The 74-year-old trainer said:
“We’ve done a lot of things, and we literally did take him to pieces, literally every nut and every bolt, and put the whole thing back together again with loads of people’s advice, and more.”
With his comeback date edging closer, Constitution Hill headed to Newbury for a racecourse gallop – just as he had in 2024. Twelve months ago, a subpar performance saw him ultimately miss the Fighting Fifth Hurdle. This year, his warm-up appears to have gone entirely to plan. While he could be expected to finish well clear of bumper winner Act Of Innocence and the 119-rated hurdler Therapist, it was nevertheless a positive to see him pass this test with flying colours.
CONSTITUTION HILL looking good, looking happy!
✅ @NewburyRacing
@NewcastleRaces pic.twitter.com/cQOk4YhorA— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 18, 2025
Summing up the Newbury Coral Gold Cup gallops morning, Henderson opined:
“He’s been in good form all the way through, and it’s nice to come out and show the world that gallop. If that were a race, I’d be about as confident as I ever could be about a horse.”
The New Lion Awaits at Newcastle
With everything running unusually smoothly, Constitution faces his first big test in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
Twelve lengths too good for his Champion Hurdle-winning stablemate Epatante in the 2022 edition, he has missed the two most recent renewals. If he is back to anything like that level of form, he may take some stopping. However, if not fully tuned up, one horse, in particular, is ready, willing, and able to expose any chinks in his armour.
Now sporting the green and gold of JP McManus, Dan Skelton’s The New Lion announced himself as the new star of the hurdling scene in 2024/25. Five runs produced five wins, including Grade 1 triumphs in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle and the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
With Final Demand and The Yellow Clay among those behind, that latter success was a particularly noteworthy effort. With the Champion Hurdle the ultimate goal, he drops back to two miles for the first time since his bumper success at Market Rasen.
If mastering The New Lion, Constitution Hill will still have Willie Mullins to worry about. Surprisingly, Mullins is yet to win the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, but has an intriguing entry in the shape of the unbeaten Anzadam.
While that recent gallop was encouraging, we will learn more about Constitution Hill’s prospects after this fascinating clash on Saturday.
