From family pet to champion hurdler

The unbeaten Constitution Hill is being prepped for another stellar season over hurdles. Kate Johnson tells the remarkable story of the horse nobody wanted

A T his annual owners day this year, the six-time National Hunt champion trainer Nicky Henderson paraded his new recruits for the season along with his stars such as Jonbon and Shishkin.

“That’s all of them”, he quipped, as if forgetting there was just one more, as Constitution Hill loped into the courtyard with his lad Jaydon Lee. In rude health after his holidays, the horse meandered onto the lawn and started grazing. Looking at his superstar, Nicky told onlookers, “He’s the only one allowed on the grass”.

It’s special treatment for a special sixyear-old, unbeaten in all seven starts for Nicky and regularly touted as the most exciting horse in jumps racing.

The week before, the trainer finally ended the relentless speculation and announced that Constitution Hill would be staying over hurdles for the 2023/24 season. Nicky, owner Michael Buckley and jockey Nico de Boinville had discussed the options; Nicky says his decision was influenced by his jockey expressing doubt over The Hill’s stamina.

“It’s a very different ballgame going 31⁄4 miles round Cheltenham,” Nico elaborates. “It’s a very specific test and there isn’t another one like it anywhere in the country. For a horse with so much speed, and endless gears, you’d be having to teach him to settle for a long, long time, almost putting the dampeners on him instead of allowing his flair and speed to come out.”

The speculation about the horse’s future began in earnest after his 2023 Cheltenham Festival appearance when he trounced seriously good rivals like State Man and Paul Townend to take the Champion