Constitution Hill – one of National Hunt racing’s biggest names – returned to winning ways with a commanding switch to the Flat at the Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes.
Having triumphed in his first 10 races, the once-seemingly unbeatable horse had fallen three times in four outings.
In an attempt to get back on track, trainer Nicky Henderson entered him in the mile-and-a-half Flat race at Southwell, before a possible tilt at May’s Champion Hurdle, which he won in 2023.
Starting 6-4 favourite and with five-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the saddle, the move paid off as the nine-year-old took to the front well before the line and held firm to win by nine-and-a-half lengths from Square Necker and Gambino.
“He felt like a machine,” Murphy told ITV afterwards.
“It went to plan. It would’ve been very easy for me to blast off in front, but I wanted to get in among them and give him an idea of what a Flat race is like.
“For a big horse that’s been jumping, he has a lot of speed and he’s a joy to ride.”
Henderson, meanwhile, said the emphatic display under the Nottinghamshire course’s floodlights would “open up a lot of doors”.
“We’ve been through a few tears over the last year or so,” he admitted. “It’s nice to be back with positive vibes.
Leave a Reply