Constitution Hill ruled out of Cheltenham: The Champion who won’t get his shot at redemption
(STL.News) After weeks of speculation that gripped the entire racing world, Nicky Henderson has confirmed that Constitution Hill will not line up in the 2026 Champion Hurdle on 10 March, and for the many fans of horse racing betting who had allowed themselves to dream after his stunning win at Southwell, the news will be a difficult pill to swallow.
A horse who had everything
There was a time, not so long ago, when Constitution Hill was at the very top of the jumps racing game, winning eight Grade 1 races and claiming the Champion Hurdle in 2023 in a way that made the whole thing look effortless.
He jumped with a precision and confidence that left his rivals trailing and left crowds absolutely breathless, and Henderson, who has trained some of the greatest hurdlers the sport has ever seen, made no secret of just how special he believed this horse to be.
Things start to go wrong
Constitution Hill had health issues that ruled him out of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, but his jumping problems began at last year’s Champion Hurdle when he fell whilst travelling well, handing the race to 25-1 outsider Golden Ace after defending champion State Man also crashed out at the final flight.
That fall might have been dismissed as an unfortunate accident, but it marked the beginning of a pattern that has raised serious questions about whether the nine-year-old gelding has lost his nerve over obstacles.
He fell again at Aintree the following month, then produced a lifeless fifth-place finish at Punchestown that suggested something more troubling than a loss of form.
The most concerning moment came at Newcastle in November when Constitution Hill fell at just the second flight in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, his third crashing exit in four starts. Watching the replays offers no obvious explanation beyond hesitation and indecision, with the horse appearing to second-guess himself at the crucial moment of take-off.
Southwell briefly changed the outlook
Henderson responded by sending Constitution Hill to Southwell on 20 February for a Flat race, removing the pressure of obstacles entirely and giving him the chance to feel like a winner again.
Starting as the 6/4 favourite under Oisin Murphy, he glided to the front on the turn for home and pulled clear to beat Square Necker by nine and a half lengths. The reaction from fans and pundits alike was one of pure joy, and suddenly the Champion Hurdle felt like a very real possibility.
The final decision
In the end, the jumping record proved too hard to look past, and it is difficult to argue with that conclusion when you consider the facts plainly. Three falls in four starts over hurdles is not a blip in form; it is a pattern, and taking that pattern to the biggest stage in jump racing was always going to carry an enormous amount of risk.
The Champion Hurdle will now be contested by The New Lion, who heads the market at 11/4, and Brighterdaysahead at 3/1, with both horses carrying their own question marks into the race.
What is clear is that Constitution Hill’s absence leaves a gap that nobody in the field can truly fill, and with talk of a Flat campaign to come later in the year, there is still plenty to look forward to with this horse, just not at Cheltenham on 10 March.
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