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The jumping world was dealt a bittersweet blow on Wednesday morning as Nicky Henderson officially confirmed that Constitution Hill will not bid for a second Champion Hurdle crown next month. Instead, the most naturally gifted hurdler of the modern era is to embark on a second act that could lead him from the mud of Newcastle to the heat of the Melbourne Cup.
The decision follows a morning schooling session at Seven Barrows that served as the final “trial” for a horse whose jumping career has been plagued by fragility since his peak in 2023. Having fallen in three of his last four starts over obstacles—most recently in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle—the risk of a high-profile return to Prestbury Park was deemed too great by owner Michael Buckley and his trainer.
“Michael and I have spent a lot of time soul-searching,” Henderson said in a statement. “We have sadly concluded that he will not be running in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. We are very aware of the public perception and the consequences of running over hurdles, and we feel it is not fair to ask him and Nico de Boinville to do it again.”
The pivot comes just five days after Constitution Hill looked every inch a top-level Flat performer during a spectacular debut at Southwell. Under champion jockey Oisin Murphy, the nine-year-old toyed with his rivals over 1m4f, looking like a horse reborn away from the stresses of timber.
With Constitution Hill now out of the day one feature, the Champion Hurdle market has been turned on its head. The green and gold of JP McManus still looks the most likely to prevail, but the focus shifts to The New Lion, who Dan Skelton described this morning as being “in the form of his life” during his own stable tour.
However, the real intrigue lies in Constitution Hill‘s new trajectory. Michael Buckley has already hinted at an ambitious summer campaign. “He showed at Southwell that he has another career in front of him,” the owner noted. Targets such as the Sky Bet Ebor and the Irish St Leger are now on the table, with the “race that stops a nation” in Australia remaining the ultimate dream for the horse fondly known as ‘Conrad.’
It marks the end of an era for the Cheltenham Festival, which will feel significantly quieter without its brightest star. But if Constitution Hill can translate his freakish engine to the world’s great Flat races, this may not be a retirement, but a transformation.
