Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley are still mulling over the options for Constitution Hill after his third fall in four starts at Newcastle on Saturday, but the simple fact that Henderson floated the question “can we go on asking him to do it?” in the immediate aftermath suggests that, in his heart, he already knows the answer. Whatever else might beckon for the eight-year-old – and a recent 160+ rating over timber suggests that he could compete at a very decent level on the Flat – this is a horse that should not be asked to jump a hurdle in public again.
Henderson’s competitive streak is as fierce as ever after nearly half a century in the game, and so too his appetite for a challenge. As such, it would be odd if the urge to attempt a repeat of Sprinter Sacre’s unlikely return to Grade One-winning form at the 2016 festival was not nagging away at the back of his mind somewhere. Sprinter Sacre’s second Champion Chase victory was one of the great Cheltenham moments of recent decades, and Constitution Hill, after all, set off as the 4-11 favourite for the Champion Hurdle just eight months ago, with an unbeaten 10-race record to his name.
Festival racegoers also love nothing more than a returning champion, and the compelling narrative of a triumph against all odds. But Constitution Hill’s decline has been so steep and abrupt, and so obviously the result of a loss of confidence at the obstacles, that the risk-reward calculation – for the horse, his connections and for the sport in general – is entirely different.
Whatever else ailed him during a stop-start second half to his career, Sprinter Sacre’s jumping was always rock-solid. Constitution Hill’s problem, though, was as plain as day at Newcastle on Saturday: the mid-air moment when uncertainty kicked in. Henderson reported in the run-up to the Fighting Fifth Hurdle that Constitution Hill’s schooling had gone well, but back on a racecourse and at racing speed, his split-second of indecision made a fall all but inevitable.
As Barry Geraghty, who was closely involved in buying Constitution Hill as a foal and then steering him towards the Henderson stable, told RTE afterwards: “You can school at home, jump perfectly in a relaxed environment, but you go to the racecourse and have that energy, that tension, and boom, he takes a chance. It’s a really difficult thing to un-train out of a horse, if you like.”
Perhaps it is a sign of a flight animal’s survival instinct coming to the fore. What Constitution Hill wants to avoid above all is another fall, and an unfortunate result is that in the heat of competition, that actually makes a fall more likely. But the implication is that if Constitution Hill’s first fall at Cheltenham in March planted the seed of uncertainty in his mind, no amount of home schooling will do much to reduce the chance of another fall if he returns to the track.
It also feels like a stretch to suggest, as Henderson did on Sunday, that the padded hurdles which are being steadily rolled out across all British jumps tracks are to blame for Constitution Hill’s jumping issues.
“I know we like Kempton [where Constitution Hill has won three Christmas Hurdles], but it is those hurdles I would want to avoid more than anything,” Henderson told the Press Association.
“For all the words that have been said from the people who have very kindly rung up trying to advise us, the most common denominator – and I believe they are right – is those padded hurdles, they are horrible.
“The poor The New Lion did the same thing as Constitution Hill [at Newcastle on Saturday], and State Man did the same in the Champion Hurdle [in March], they have all made the same mistake. The trouble is we happen to have done it three times, whereas they have only done it once, the poor devils.
“Out of all the people ringing up, by far the most common thing they have said is they should get rid of those hurdles and I couldn’t agree with them more.”
The British Horseracing Authority, though, was quick to defend the padded hurdles on Monday, pointing to clear statistical evidence that both falls and injuries have been reduced since their introduction.
“Since their phased introduction 10 years ago, the hurdles have shown that they reduce the risk of falling by 11% compared to birch hurdles,” a spokesperson said. “Since 2016 the overall faller rate over hurdles has decreased from 1.96% to 1.65%, with other factors such as the move from orange to white obstacles also contributing to this.
“They have also shown a reduction in injuries, including those caused by splinters which sometimes associated with the birch hurdles, as well as fewer skin-related injuries.”
There was perhaps a slight element of misfortune in Constitution Hill’s first fall back in March, as he jumped a panel which came back at him slightly after being rattled by Brighterdaysahead, who jumped it a couple of lengths in front of him.
But it is also the case that the astonishingly quick, brave and accurate jumping style that was a key element of Constitution Hill’s brilliance in his prime left little margin for error. When, suddenly, it let him down, it was the fall itself, rather than the finer points of hurdle design, that seems to have become lodged in his brain.
Again, it is only natural for Constitution Hill’s connections to look for reasons – and so, presumably, possible remedies – for his sudden decline, but his standing as one of hurdling’s all-time greats has long since been secure. Henderson’s initial instinct was spot on. There is no need to attempt to write a glorious final chapter, when an alternative ending does not bear thinking about.
Online auction for John Hunt family
An online silent auction has been launched with proceeds going to the Hunt Family Fund, which has been established in memory of the family of the BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, and his daughter, Amy, to raise funds for charities and causes that help and inspire young women.
Items on offer in the auction include behind-the-scenes experiences at Match of the Day and Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, a trip for two to visit Willie Mullins’s stable in Ireland and a VIP package including two tickets for the Caraboa Cup Final in March.
The auction is open until the evening of Thursday 11 December, and bids can be submitted online via the link: www.bidaid.com/auction/HFF.
