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The Official Constitution Hill Thread 2025/26

The NJH interview post-race was revealing. I really don’t think we will see CH jumping any obstacle now. The trainer said it was “unfair now”, for exactly that reason, Ian - he keeps falling.

I think they might run him on the flat, just to assess his ability; but he certainly wouldn’t end his racing days in Class 5 2-milers on wet Wednesdays at Newcastle.
 
I think he has the potential to be Listed class at up to 1m6f on the Flat - no more than that.

And he's has his issues beyond just his jumping and Punchestown - the last time he actually completed the course in a race - indicated to me those issues, when push comes to shove, haven't gone away.
 
He definitely needs a confidence booster-can't see it being over fences.The managed to get Magical Zoe handicapped for an Ebor and she only made her flat debut after the County Hurdle.
 
Could it be the way Hendo trains his hurdlers? Im no position to question him, a man who’s won more Champion Hurdles than anyone. But pretty sure Buveur D’air only just got over his hurdles, before falling twice himself.
 
They surely will at least consider retirement now. You cannot keep running a horse in top class races just hoping he won't fall. There is no harm running him on the flat. The ebor etc look tailored made for him and he won't get a big weight. As a horse lover I would have retired him today. He will no doubt sparkle on the gallops in a familiar comfortable environment but in a keenly contested grade one the doubts will creep back and and he will guess at the hurdles. I'm just so glad he's OK and Michael Buckley should do the decent thing and either retire him on put him on the flat. If it is just a mental thing with the hurdles he should have no issue on the flat.
 
Coming out on ‘X’ now Con Hill fell while schooling at home as well.
One of the accounts confirming it wouldn't bullshit either.
 
Geezo. Whether its true or not it looked very likely he would fall. Please just retire. I wouldn't watch the Xmas hurdle if he ran in it. I'd be so fearful for horse and rider and when it gets to that stage it surely must be kinder to the horse by not jumping another obstacle.
 
trefflich said:
Any link please?
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Mike Cattermole on Twitter.

He’s claiming he fell yesterday/Thursday. ‘Tayz’ who’s Con Hills biggest fan and gets snippets claiming he didn’t fall it was an unseat.

Also the ‘working the house down’ is also apparently nonsense. Was still sent off fav though so f%*& knows
 
Desert Orchid said:
... either that or they’re planning to profit substantially from laying him on the exchange. He could lose here, go out to 12/1 for the Champion Hurdle and still come back and win. I wouldn’t put anything past this operation.
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I'm saying nothing but he got the dreaded ITV £100k bonus penalty today.
 
Very sad to see him fall again, maybe it is these new hurdles.
What seems to have been lost in the fallout of the race, Anzadam, timeform squiggle for sure..
The New Lion almost running out early on.
 
tiggers1972 said:
What seems to have been lost in the fallout of the race, Anzadam, timeform squiggle for sure...
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Not lost on me, I mentioned it earlier on this or the Champion Hurdle thread.

I've been calling The New Lion a "boat" all week - well, better a "boat" than a "bridle ponce" and it looked to me like Anzadam just doesn't want to know if actually asked to battle.

The race had played into his hands too - Harry Skelton didn't make it nearly enough of a stamina test on a horse I'm sure wants further, Anzadam should have murdered them for toe at the business end and that "response" (or lack of it) was dismal, frankly.

I actually like it as a punter when races like the Champion Hurdle are wide open - you often get the best ante-post value bets as everyone keeps waiting for a "superstar" who fits the media narrative to emerge, it doesn't happen and a progressive handicapper ends up winning it.

Could be a Make A Stand sort of renewal?

Maybe, maybe not - but always best to keep an open mind imo.
 
I think maybe a bit harsh on Anzadam. Yes there was definitely a bit of quirkiness there but he's a lightly raced novice coming back from a year off. Off the top of my head are Golden Ace and Nemean lion around 150 animals ? Personally those quirks are a concern but he's run to about 150 by the looks of it on only his 5th run and first after a year off. I think we probably just expected far too much from him tbh. Could well still develop into a very useful horse maybe even a Champion.
 
You could be right, Danny, but I thought he was travelling all over the "Boat" when he fell and thought it was a question of "how far?" at that point.

Me and "Leafy" (who first pointed Anzadam out to me - highly unusual for "Leafy" as he's usually buried in Class 6 handicaps and refers to anything at the top end as "high-level dross") were hoping his initial handicap mark might be exploitable, but they always had higher hopes for him.
 
Ian_Davies said:
Not lost on me, I mentioned it earlier on this or the Champion Hurdle thread.

I've been calling The New Lion a "boat" all week - well, better a "boat" than a "bridle ponce" and it looked to me like Anzadam just doesn't want to know if actually asked to battle.

The race had played into his hands too - Harry Skelton didn't make it nearly enough of a stamina test on a horse I'm sure wants further, Anzadam should have murdered them for toe at the business end and that "response" (or lack of it) was dismal, frankly.

I actually like it as a punter when races like the Champion Hurdle are wide open - you often get the best ante-post value bets as everyone keeps waiting for a "superstar" who fits the media narrative to emerge, it doesn't happen and a progressive handicapper ends up winning it.

Could be a Make A Stand sort of renewal?

Maybe, maybe not - but always best to keep an open mind imo.
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Tizzard horse maybe. Alexi 🤔
 
Robicheaux said:
Tizzard horse maybe. Alexi 🤔
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💯% - stranger things have happened.

"That can't win a Champion Hurdle....it's just a 'Handicapper,' it would have to be a terrible year for that to win....oh, it just did."

We've heard and seen it time and time again over the years - not every Champion Hurdle is won by a Night Nurse or a Monksfield or an Istabraq (or even a Constitution Hill before he went wrong).

Good call.
 
NJH made a mistake dissing 2 mile chasers when declaring it was Gold Cup or bust for CH to go over fences.
Amazingly no Champion Hurdle winner has won a Champion Chase since the latter race was introduced in the late 1950s.
Pity Nicky and Michael did not try and make history; they had the ideal horse for it .
 
edgt said:
NJH made a mistake dissing 2 mile chasers when declaring it was Gold Cup or bust for CH to go over fences.
Amazingly no Champion Hurdle winner has won a Champion Chase since the latter race was introduced in the late 1950s.
Pity Nicky and Michael did not try and make history; they had the ideal horse for it .
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Is it possible the horse can't see?
 
It may be the paintwork or perchance was there any shadow at the take off side given The New Lion had a similar fall/dive.
Always watch a horse's ears to check their focus on a jump; if pricked they are focusing , if lying back they are not.
Similarly if they dislike the going their ears will tell the tale.
I remember watching a horse at Cork races one day with connections; there was a stretch of heavy going at the second last fence and at the opposite fence on the far side and the horse hit those fences on each circuit which cost him the race; his ears told the tale each time and the horse was genuine as day.
No doubt the ophthalmoscope will be dusted off and batteries replaced in Seven Barrows though I fear Nicky's eyes more than the horse's.
 
I'm almost certain that, when NJH gave a bullish report on Constitution Hill's health a couple of months ago, he mentioned that they'd even checked his eyesight. I thought at the time that, while you can check for disease or physical issues, you can't be certain about how well the eyes are focusing as the old letter wall-chart might be a step too far for a horse.
CH is absolutely guessing when to take off. He gets no help or indication from the jockey but that may be deliberate with them not wanting to confuse him as they've never done that before.
 
archie said:
I'm almost certain that, when NJH gave a bullish report on Constitution Hill's health a couple of months ago, he mentioned that they'd even checked his eyesight. I thought at the time that, while you can check for disease or physical issues, you can't be certain about how well the eyes are focusing as the old letter wall-chart might be a step too far for a horse.
CH is absolutely guessing when to take off. He gets no help or indication from the jockey but that may be deliberate with them not wanting to confuse him as they've never done that before.
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The last bits not true. Nico told him when to jump as analysed by Ruby after. The horse then just lunged at it. Also, all the others made a shape over the hurdle, This horse just lunged himself into the hurdle.

New hurdles maybe. Fact they’ve changed half way through his career. Jumped hundreds of the old ones then stick a load of new ones out, maybe they spook the horse.
 
I said last season he was regressing for want of a better word.

That said, no prize for stating what a good horse he was at one time.

So what do connections do now? His record at right handed tracks, notably Sandown and Kempton is pretty darn good, and he's never fallen going right handed.

Should they run him at Kempton on Boxing Day, or retire him? I think a poll of forum members might be interesting here.

Finally, why did they give him a wind operation, because really and truthily he's gone backwards since they did that.

You can understand horses being given wind operations when they've lost their form, but he was unbeaten, so I am just wondering why they did that, when they did that?
 
The Fortune Teller said:
I said last season he was regressing for want of a better word.

That said, no prize for stating what a good horse he was at one time.

So what do connections do now? His record at right handed tracks, notably Sandown and Kempton is pretty darn good, and he's never fallen going right handed.

Should they run him at Kempton on Boxing Day, or retire him? I think a poll of forum members might be interesting here.

Finally, why did they give him a wind operation, because really and truthily he's gone backwards since they did that.

You can understand horses being given wind operations when they've lost their form, but he was unbeaten, so I am just wondering why they did that, when they did that?
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When he was breathing out of his arse after his Kempton gallop
 

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