Constitution Hill was 300 miles away at Newcastle, but racegoers at Newbury still burst into spontaneous applause as Nicky Henderson’s hurdler powered 12 lengths clear of the field on a tight rein in the Grade One Fighting Fifth Hurdle. It was the performance that all racing fans had dared to hope for on the five-year-old’s return to action after a brilliant, unbeaten first season over jumps.
Moments later, in the parade ring at Newbury, Henderson – who also trained the runner-up, Epatante – was already being asked whether Constitution Hill might be the greatest hurdler the sport has seen. “We need to keep all four feet on the ground,” Henderson replied, before adding: “I’m sad for Epatante, she’d have won it in any normal year, but this is a bit of a freak, he really is.”
