Constitution Hill will be heading to Punchestown for his next run after spectacularly fluffing his lines in the Champion Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Nicky Henderson had brought the horse back to fitness after a spell on the sidelines and he was rated as the odds-on favourite to regain his two-mile hurdling crown.
Constitution Hill forced operators of horse racing betting platforms to make a sizeable payout when he won the race in 2023 and punters backed him as if defeat was out of question this year.
However, after travelling well just behind the leaders, the eight-year-old misjudged the fifth hurdle under jockey Nico de Boinville and took a crashing fall.
That handed the advantage to last year’s winner State Man, who cruised into the lead around the final turn. However, he fell at the final flight to hand victory to 25/1 shot Golden Ace.
After Constitution Hill returned unscathed to the unsaddling enclosure, Henderson took a philosophical view of the mishap and set his sights on a future target.
“He seems fine – he’s very bright and breezy,” Henderson said. “He hasn’t had a race, obviously, and we’ll just have to think of a plan.
“When you’re jumping as fast as they jump, you’ve got to get it deadly accurate. You’d like to see the replay of it, but it doesn’t really matter what he did. I can’t take it out of his vocabulary, they will do these silly things.
“Somebody said the hurdle swung back into him. He was having a lovely time and he’s run two miles even if he didn’t have Nico on his back and he’s come back in here very fresh.
“It’s tough, but we have to live with it. We know what we’re playing with and that’s the game – you have to take these things. It’s just typical it’s on a day like this.
“So, now what do we do? I know what we’ll do – surely there’ll be a rather fun day in Punchestown now?”
While Henderson took a measure view of Constitution Hill’s misfortune, owner Michael Buckley was less enamoured with how things unfolded.
Buckley claimed the horse has become ‘a bit sloppy’ with his jumping, and wants to see a more polished performance in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.
Constitution Hill was previously renowned for the accuracy of his jumping, but Buckley believes he has not been as slick as he can be this season.
He came close to falling at the final flight of the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in January and paid the price with anotherdodgy jump in the Champion Hurdle.
“He managed to beat himself,” said Buckley. “All being well, we’ll go to Punchestown and sharpen up his mental process, so that he gives himself a bit more air.
“He doesn’t leave much to chance when he jumps. He has got a bit sloppy, taking chances by standing off miles from the hurdles.”
Constitution Hill will likely renew rivalries with State Man at Punchestown. The Willie Mullins-trained horse has won the race for the last two years and will attempt to complete the hat-trick.
Mullins admitted the eight-year-old was a ‘little bit sore’ after his fall, but should be raring to go in his bid to win again at Punchestown.
“He cantered away and trotted up sound, so we’re happy enough with him,” Mullins said. “The vets have examined him and they’ve said he’s fine to travel home this evening – that’s good news.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s racing and that’s what makes winning over here so hard, you never know when something like that is going to happen.”
