As ever, the 2024 Cheltenham Festival delivered thrills and spills aplenty, with sensational displays from Gaelic Warrior, Ballyburn, and Galopin Des Champs retaining his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown. However, as entertaining as the meeting was, there was one glaring absentee from the 2m hurdling division – going by the name of Constitution Hill.
A Once in a Generation Talent
First exploding onto the scene with a 14-length romp in a Class 3 Novice Hurdle at Sandown in 2021, the subsequent exploits of this son of Blue Bresil saw the Nicky Henderson star become the poster horse for National Hunt racing. Eight starts yielded eight wins – seven of which came in Grade 1 company, including the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 2023 Champion Hurdle, and back-to-back editions of the Christmas Hurdle.
That’s an impressive CV by any standards, but what set Constitution Hill apart was the manner of those victories. All bar one of his wins came by over nine lengths as he treated his 2m contemporaries with the utmost disdain.
Rounding off the 2022/23 campaign with a successful first foray over 2m4f in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, he returned in 2023/24 with an emphatic victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. With few credible rivals emerging from British or Irish shores, surely nothing could prevent him from retaining his Champion Hurdle crown.
Illness Strikes
Whilst nothing seemed capable of mastering Constitution Hill at the track, the greats are as susceptible to illness as the rest of us. In his case, a respiratory infection and a suspected case of potentially serious colic saw the superstar miss the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign, leaving the Willie Mullins-trained State Man to claim the Champion Hurdle in his absence.
Positive News from Seven Barrows
Nicky Henderson has few peers when it comes to nurturing an equine great back to full strength – Shiskin and the improbable, back from the brink tale of Sprinter Sacre being but two examples. As such, hopes were high that Constitution Hill would return to reclaim his place atop the racing mountain in 2024.
— Nicky Henderson (@sevenbarrows) September 12, 2024
Happily, recent reports from the yard suggest that might be the case. Seemingly rid of the unwanted spectre of colic, the gelding has received wind surgery to assist with his respiratory issues and is doing well – Henderson stating, “Everyone is very happy. It’s a very straightforward procedure, and he was recently scoped to show that everything is 100 per cent. He’s loving his new stable where he spends a lot of the day enjoying his field.”
November Return on the Cards
As Constitution Hill continues his recovery in his new five-star accommodation, Henderson is busy making plans for the return of his leading light, with a date at Newcastle for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle pencilled in as the first step.
In heading to the North East, the horse – labelled a freak of nature in some quarters – will tread a familiar path. Back in 2022, Constitution Hill made his seasonal return with a 12l Fighting Fifth rout, whilst he was due to defend his title in 2023, only for the meeting to be abandoned due to frozen ground.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle 2023 Result
| Position | Horse | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Constitution Hill (1/4) | Nicky Henderson |
| 2nd | Epatante (4/1) | Nicky Henderson |
| 3rd | Not So Sleepy (18/1) | Hughie Morrison |
| 4th | Voix Du Reve (200/1) | Iain Jardine |
| 5th | Tommy’s Oscar (25/1) | Ann Hamilton |
All Roads Lead to Cheltenham
Any horse returning from such a lengthy absence will always have a question mark as to whether they retain their ability, making that 30th November contest at Newcastle a key date in the diary for jumps fans. Hopefully, the imperious star passes that first test, and there are reasons to be optimistic. Constitution Hill is still only seven years old and in his prime years, and as mentioned, Henderson is a past master at returning a horse to top form.
Assuming the Fighting Hurdle goes to plan, he may bid to become the first-ever three-time winner of the Christmas Hurdle before gearing up for the ultimate challenge of regaining his title at Prestbury Park in March. Of course, all that is for the future. For now, we should simply celebrate the news that one of the sport’s biggest stars will soon shine at the track once more.
