So easy for Constitution Hill

Constitution Hill (1-7 Favourite) made it five wins from as many starts over hurdles when coming home the facile winner of the Grade One Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, write The Jockey Club's Graham Clark and Nick Seddon.

The Michael Buckley-owned five year old remains the 2-7 Favourite with Coral for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival.

Partnered by Nico de Boinville, Constitution Hill went to the front at around the halfway point in the two-mile contest and the result was not in doubt from that point onwards. At the finish, the Blue Bresil gelding had 17 lengths to spare over stable companion Epatante (7-1).

For winning trainer Nicky Henderson it was a record-extending 11th victory in the Christmas Hurdle following Geos (2000), Landing Light (2001), Binocular (2010, 2011), Darlan (2012), My Tent Or Yours (2013), Buveur d'Air (2017), Verdana Blue (2018) and Epatante (2019,2021).

Nicky Henderson said: “It’s only his fifth start and again it was everything you’d hope for and everything he’s done before. You’ve just got to come into these days and pray everything goes right, it’s not that easy and just a matter of going out there and coming back – you’ve got to jump the hurdles and he in good shape. Thankfully he is and so is Epatante, I’ve never seen her in better form and Aidan said there that she’s probably run as well there as she did when she won this on the bridle last year! She was only chasing shadows to be honest and that just shows what he’s achieving, which is frightening really.

“They’ve taken away my favourite race at Sandown, the Contenders Hurdle, which is not worth much but it’s a wonderful Champion Hurdle trial. I really don’t particularly want to go to Haydock, Nico said Ireland so lets just have a look and see. It’s either that or nothing I would say, as the one good thing we have this year is the four weeks between Cheltenham and Aintree – which means we’d have no worries about stepping him up for two and a half at Liverpool.

“I know everybody wants to see him, but where can you go? I don’t think Wincanton is the right place for him and Haydock certainly isn’t in my opinion – but he doesn’t need to and there’s no point doing something you don’t need to do. He can go there fresh no problem, but we’ll get today other with and it’s the one we needed in the bag. Nico said turning in that he was actually dossing and then he pressed the button and off he went. He was having a nice time - he’s quick and fast and accurate and at the moment there’s no chinks in that armour because he’s got such a great mind. He was on his toes today actually which was more than I’ve seen before but he’s so relaxed at home and Shauna who rides him every day has done a brilliant job with him. The horse is just cool and that’s the only word you can call him – he’s cool and talented!

“You’d have to think about Ireland but it’s nothing to do with ducking and diving – which is becoming a stupid word which I wish they’d ban! My gut feeling was always that we’d go straight there, I don’t think we’d achieve anything by going to Haydock. If the Contenders was still here I’d go there but Cheltenham and Aintree is what it’s all about out. It’s a very truncated season with four runs, but that’s what its come down to unless we travel and Punchestown is too close to Aintree to go there.”

Nico de Boinville told ITV Racing: “He has given me an absolutely brilliant ride around there and he’s just so measured. He made a bit of a hash of the second last – I think he was just dossing and losing concentration. There is a phenomenal crowd here today and he had a look turning in but he’s just doing everything so easily and what a fantastic horse he is.

“Horses like him don’t come around very often – he is just sensational. He can do it any way and I don’t think you can beat him how he is at moment.”

Aidan Coleman, rider of runner-up Epatante, said: “She is running her races. She ran great, travelled and jumped but just couldn’t go with the winner. That is four or five goes in a row he has done that so credit where credit is due. His performances are freakish but my mare ran really well.

“I suppose the Mares’ Hurdle has always been talked about. She is a fantastic mare in her own right and has run another great race. Her last 13 races have all been in Grade Ones and she has been a fantastic mare. What she does now I’m not sure but hopefully we are not done yet.

“I think her performances are similar to last season and she won three Grade Ones last season. I don’t think she has always got the credit she deserves. She has been around a long time and won a lot of Grade Ones. She has been a very good mare, unfortunately she has now just got him to contend with.”