Constitution Hill back to his best after surging to emotional Boxing Day win
The world’s greatest hurdler, Constitution Hill, returned to action for the first time in twelve months on Boxing Day.
He stormed to victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, his first race since he won the same contest last year.
Constitution Hill is back! 💥
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 26, 2024
He wins the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle for the third year in a row! 🏆🏆🏆#ITVRacing | @kemptonparkrace | @NdeBoinville | @sevenbarrows pic.twitter.com/fBoBQ0EVcj
He has now won the race three times and is now a 1/2 favourite for the Champion Hurdle in March.
Boxing Day saw him face off against one of his potential Cheltenham competitors, Willie Mullins’ Lossiemouth.
Mullins’ horse held a 7lb advantage over Nicky Henderson’s star, but as the pack turned the corner for the final stretch this proved to be no issue for Lambourn’s finest.
Constitution Hill jumped magnificently throughout, appearing to simply glide over the hurdles rather than having to jump.
HE’S DONE IT🤩
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 26, 2024
Pure joy watching this. Well done Nicky❤️#ITVRacing | @sevenbarrows pic.twitter.com/qTHK0v9I3Q
It seemed as if the last twelve months simply hadn't happened, as the horse who had faced colic, wind surgery and was lame at the end of November, surged to a convincing victory by two and a half lengths.
As he approached the winner’s enclosure, jockey Nico De Boinville joked to ITV that former jockey Paddy Brennan, who had written off the horse’s chances, could “shove that where the sun don’t shine”.
🗣"It's been a long time coming but it was worth the wait" 😍
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 26, 2024
That most certainly was Nico who calls out @PaddyBrennan81 in the process!#ITVRacing |.@MCYeeehaaa | @NdeBoinville pic.twitter.com/xdyWpnPqUS
Trainer Nicky Henderson later told Sky Sports how “he is back to where he belongs”.
"I do think he is back to what he was always capable of being and I do think he is nearly as good as he was.
“That was rapid stuff.
"You had to be nervous coming here today, you had to be.
“I was preparing myself for defeat and I came here ready to accept it, thinking we would be ready to beat her (Lossiemouth) at Cheltenham with normal improvement.
“If he can do it now, he can still come on sufficiently.”
