Richard Johnson: Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle is Constitution Hill's race to lose

Former jockey Richard Johnson has said that the Champion Hurdle is Constitution Hill’s race to lose.

Second on the all-time wins list as a jockey and a two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Johnson has backed Nicky Henderson’s superstar for next month’s festival.

“Nicky Henderson and the owner, they've all had a lot of grief considering it's less than a year since he wasn't well and they had to pull him out,” he said.

“Everyone loved seeing Constitution Hill, he was an absolute superstar.

“At Christmas, he showed he was back to what he was.

“I'm sure he'll improve again from that run.

“He made Lossiemouth look not that great, who is a very, very good horse.

“So for me, Constitution Hill is the horse everyone's got to beat,

“State Man or Lossiemouth just aren't good enough to take him on.

“It's Constitution Hill's race to lose.”

Richard Johnson was speaking to Genting Casino, who have five pairs of VIP tickets to Cheltenham Gold Cup day to give away.