Constitution Hill, the unbeaten winner of the 2023 Champion Hurdle, is currently lame and “unlikely” to run in next weekend’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, Nicky Henderson, the gelding’s trainer, said in a statement on X on Friday.
Constitution Hill has been off the track since extending his unbeaten record to eight wins in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on 26 December last year and the news that he has suffered a training setback follows a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Tuesday morning that Henderson said would ensure the seven-year-old was “ready for action” at Newcastle on 30 November.
“I’m afraid I have to report that we have a problem with Constitution Hill,” Henderson said. “He is currently lame. This wasn’t immediately apparent after his gallop at Newbury on Tuesday but the last 48 hours he has been sore, but for what reason we are still unaware and are currently investigating.
“This as I’m sure everybody will appreciate is a tragic problem for us as an issue, but we have to report where we are. He is still under investigation, we are trying to find the reason for it which is not apparent and we will obviously keep everybody posted but at this stage I think you’d have to stay he is unlikely to make next Saturday at Newcastle.
“I have to confirm to everybody this is not a retirement call, he is not [retiring], and he was bright and breezy after his gallop but we have this issue.”
Henderson later told Sky Sports Racing that “Wednesday everything appeared fine, Thursday he was lame, he’s still lame today and he was last night. He’s sound at a walk, and there’s no obvious reason so he’s currently going through tests and examinations as we speak.
“To everybody it’s important because we want to get him back. This horse has never ever taken a lame step in his life. The only problems he’s ever had was a dirty scope last year and then the colic [in the spring], and a terrible gallop at Kempton [in late February] along the way, but he’s never, ever been lame and we have no idea why.
“It might be simple and I hope it is, and I hope we can mend it, repair it, get him sound as quickly as possible. If he’s sound tonight, he’ll go to Newcastle. But I am having to warn that I think it’s unlikely, but we’ll see.”
The news that Constitution Hill was a major doubt for his much-anticipated return to action was heralded by a steady drift in the ante-post betting for the Fighting Fifth on Friday morning, which saw him replaced as favourite by his stable companion Sir Gino.
Sir Gino is also among the five-day entries for the Beginners’ Chase at Kempton on Monday, a race that Henderson used to launch the chasing career of Altior, a subsequent Arkle Trophy and Champion Chase winner, in 2016. The final declarations for Monday’s race will be made on Saturday morning.
Pagaille can expose an unfit Dawning
Dan Skelton has built a £500,000 lead over Paul Nicholls in the race for the UK jump trainers’ championship and will expect to go further clear if Grey Dawning, one of last season’s best staying novice chasers, can justify his status as favourite for the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The seven-year-old was an impressive winner of the Grade One Turners Novice Chase at Cheltenham in March and is already the shortest priced contender from a British stable in the ante-post betting for the Gold Cup next spring.
The concern about his chance on Saturday, though, is that Grey Dawning has been beaten on his seasonal debut in both of his campaigns over jumps to date. On both occasions, Grey Dawning looked the likely winner but faded late on, and Skelton was plainly keen to get a run into him this time around, only to be frustrated by unseasonally fast ground earlier this month.
And if the favourite lacks anything in terms of fitness, the classy course-specialist Royale Pagaille (3.05) will be poised to take advantage.
Venetia Williams’s 10-year-old is four-from-five at Haydock, will have been trained for Saturday’s race from a long way out and while his very best form has come on heavy ground, there is plenty of rain in the forecast and it was good-to-soft when he ran out an impressive six-and-a-half length winner of this race last season.
Haydock 1.15 The second, third, sixth and ninth in Chepstow’s Silver Trophy in October were winners next time up and Josh The Boss, who was a comfortable four-length winner, looks good for a follow-up here.
Ascot 1.30 This looks a straightforward chance for Pic D’Orhy to improve on what is already a fine record at this track.
Haydock 1.50 Iroko was a winner over hurdles at the 2023 Cheltenham festival but already promises to be even better over fences.
Punchestown 2.10 The current joint-favourites for next year’s Champion Hurdle, Lossiemouth and State Man, meet for the first time, with the reigning champion fancied to extend his record to 13 from 16 over hurdles with a second successive victory in this Grade One contest.
Haydock 2.30 One Big Bang was a course-and-distance winner on his debut for the James Owen yard in the spring and improved again when second on his return to action at Newton Abbot, while Calum Hogan’s 7lb claim is also a bonus.
Ascot 2.45 Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace, the mares’ novice winner at Cheltenham in March, remains unbeaten over timber and can extend her sequence to five.
Haydock 12.08 Saracen Beau 12.40 Home Free 1.15 Josh The Boss 1.50 Iroko 2.30 One Big Bang (nap) 3.05 Royale Pagaille 3.40 Hititi
Huntingdon 12.15 Saladins Son 12.48 Mackie Dee 1.23 Horaces Pearl 1.58 Lilting Verse 2.38 Gold For Alec 3.15 Greenrock Abbey 3.45 Risky Spin
Ascot 12.25 Kloth Of Utopia 12.55 Scarlet O’Tara 1.30 Pic D’Orhy 2.05 Kitty’s Light 2.45 Golden Ace 3.20 Sans Bruit (nb) 3.50 Copshill Lad
Newcastle 3.33 Berry Edge 4.10 Enola Grey 4.40 So Darn Hot 5.10 Sundiata Keita 5.40 Tattie Bogle 6.10 Bosphorus Rose 6.40 Penny Ghent 7.10 Too Much 7.40 King’s School
Wolverhampton 4.25 Love Your Work 4.55 Prince Ali 5.25 Inversion 5.55 Bank On Kent 6.25 Flaine 6.55 Run Boy Run 7.25 Commander Straker 7.55 Percy Jones 8.25 Westridge
Ascot 3.20 A deep field worthy of the £100k prize and Sans Bruit, an impressive front-running winner at Aintree in April, could be difficult to catch with his solid return at Exeter earlier this month under his belt.
Haydock 3.40 With just four chase starts in the book, Hititi could well find the minor improvement required to get off the mark over fences here following a promising seasonal debut at Chepstow last month.
