There have been a few false dawns since Constitution Hill blew away a mismatched field at odds of 1-12 in last year’s Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, but now, at last, National Hunt racing’s reclusive superstar is back, and the best news of all is that this time around, he has some serious opposition too.
Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten former Champion Hurdler will be in a final field of four for this year’s Christmas Hurdle on Thursday, and with Willie Mullins’s Lossiemouth also confirmed as a runner, the King George card can be sold as a genuine double feature, arguably for the first time this century.