The annual Team Henderson report is out, and he’s given us an update on all of his big guns, including arguably the most talked-about horse in training, Constitution Hill.
He’s summered well, according to Henderson at least, and will be aimed at the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, a traditional starting point used by many top hurdlers in the past.
After a season that ended with mistake after mistake, there’s a lot to prove, and you know all eyes are going to be on his jumping when he gets to Newcastle.
What Went Wrong Last Season
Let’s not sugarcoat it, 2024–25 was a patchy, uneasy campaign for a horse who had built an aura of invincibility.
A returning win in the Christmas Hurdle over Lossiemouth got the hearts racing again. It was good, and the horse got everyone talking for the right reasons.
But next, the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham, where he did win, yes, but not without drama. He clipped the final flight, looked a mess, and while he cruised up the run-in, against a low-quality field, this was the first doubt of the season for those looking to find reasons to be against him.
Then it was the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, sent off as the 1/2 favourite for the race which he’d won before. However, he would fall in the contest, leaving a feeling of what might have been. Yes, he’s missed a few in the past, but this was his first serious and costly error on the big stage.
Onto Aintree, and time to make amends, or so we thought. But this was another race where he would again fall when sent off as the favourite. Now it was time to raise serious concerns, the horse looked like he wanted to take a chance and was not giving any respect to the hurdles in front of him.
Whether it be poor jumping, a lack of concentration, or, as some would argue, differences of opinion with jockey Nico de Boinville, everyone had their opinion. Still, the fact is, the horse looked a shadow of his former self.
He would next go to Ireland, to the Punchestown Festival. After falling at the two big British festivals, it would have been so easy for Henderson to call time on his season, so fair play for going over and persisting. But again, he would fail. The positive this time is that he did jump around, but it wasn’t fluent, and he would only finish fifth of six that day.
New Season and Plenty to Prove
Following a summer MOT that even included what Henderson called a trip to “equine Specsavers,” the trainer maintained that Constitution Hill is “still the best jumper over a hurdle in the world.”
He also vowed that his stable star would be ready for his comeback in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. The challenge that lies ahead now is proving that the confidence in this horse last season, and what we’re seeing now, was well placed.
He simply has to jump better. The Fighting Fifth may be a cracker. It’s shaping up to be one, but even if it is, this is a race at the start of the season. He may be able to get away with minor mistakes that he wouldn’t at Cheltenham, which could help him in this particular contest. But anything less than foot perfect, and the doubts will still remain, for the other races he has lined up in the calendar.
The Big Fighting Fifth Test
The Fighting Fifth is more than a warm-up. It’s a litmus test. That Grade 1 hurdle at Newcastle will show whether Constitution Hill still commands respect or whether his aura has slipped. If he handles that well, the road to Cheltenham and the Champion Hurdle opens again.
If it doesn’t, and especially if he falls, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Nicky Henderson retires him and allows him to live out his remaining days in the field.
Either way, on Saturday, November 29th, I think the racing world will be talking, and it’s going to be one extreme or the other.