From triumph to despair: looking back at Constitution Hill's eventful last season in quotes from the camp

We take a look back at Constitution Hill’s previous campaign through key quotes from the camp, both before and after his races.

Christmas Hurdle triumph

Constitution Hill’s season started in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day. A bullish Nicky Henderson said before the race:

"He’s had temporary blips and all unrelated as he doesn’t have an everlasting issue. Everything has been really good recently and if we go into the Champion Hurdle in the condition we’re in now then we'll be very bullish.

"Constitution Hill has never been better, but we have to be realists. As much as one can dream, Lossiemouth is a very good mare and the run they’ve managed to get under their belts was obviously visually impressive. Maybe we might find her a lot more match-ready than we are at this stage, but we’ll see if we can get her off the bridle. That would be something because nobody has done that for over a year, but then again nobody has got Constitution Hill off the bridle, so who knows? He’s never come off the bridle in his life."

Constitution Hill (Nico de Boinville) beats Lossiemouth in the Christmas HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

After Constitution Hill’s two-and-a-half-length win over Lossiemouth, Henderson said:

“He’s been working on our own gallops and three weeks ago after a piece of work, Nico came in and said ‘we’re back!’ It was as simple as that.

“I was nervous today, you have to be. He had to put up a big performance. I was preparing myself for defeat and being able to accept it, with the hope we’d be able to beat Lossiemouth at Cheltenham with the normal improvement one could expect.”

Teeing up Champion bid

The trainer was planning to head straight to the Cheltenham Festival, but had no concerns about heading to the International Hurdle. Before the race, he said:

"He's obviously missed all that time and it seems that people like to see him out, so we thought we might as well come out. He likes Cheltenham and obviously Kempton, and that's the great thing about him as he's just so versatile. His head is so solid and you could go anywhere with him and virtually on any ground."

"This race wasn't the first thing that came into my head after Kempton. We thought we'd head straight on to March, but he's given us other indications as he's taken everything on so well. It would've been a pity not to come out again and say hello."

The star hurdler hits the top of the flight under Nico de Boinville

Constitution Hill made a mistake at the final flight in the Unibet HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

After a nail-biting mistake at the last, connections put it down to a slowly run race and were still happy with his win:

Owner Michael Buckley said: "It means a lot to me. People love him and I can't wait for March. I hope he gets there in the same sort of shape he's in now and he won't be making a mistake like that when he's going a bit faster. He was half asleep."

Jockey Nico de Boinville said: “It wasn't ideal but in a better-run race we'll be a lot happier. The race took zero out of him. It's very easy for him and he's just on another level. Everything went to plan bar the last and he felt as good as ever.”

Champion Hurdle despair

Cheltenham had come around, and Henderson said he was hopeful of a big run from his stable star in the Champion Hurdle:

"They'll go a good gallop, but that won't worry Constitution Hill as he's quite speedy. Everything has gone right, his prep races have been good and he's in good shape. Touch wood, we've had an uninterrupted preparation and we're very happy with where we are."

"Don't forget he was in training all last year. It wasn't as if he was having a year off because he was injured. That's behind us and he's had a very good season."

Constitution Hill after his Champion Hurdle fall

A riderless Constitution Hill heads up the Cheltenham hillCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gasps rippled around Cheltenham as the eight-year-old came down at the fourth, and Henderson insisted he could not have arrived in better shape for the race:

"The horse and Nico are both okay, along with State Man and Paul [Townend], and that's the main thing. We'll surely have a rather fun day in Punchestown in the spring. It's cruel and tough on Michael [Buckley], who has had to wait two years to get back here.

"Constitution Hill was back and we couldn't have had him any better than he was today. State Man had the race won but we didn't get that far to see what would have happened."

Another exit at Aintree

Before the Aintree Hurdle, the Seven Barrows trainer insisted it was not his jumping that was the problem, but rather his enthusiastic nature, which is hard to tame:

"It's not really his jumping that's the problem, it's eliminating one howler. He's the best jumper in every race he's run in, he has so much scope, but he has managed to throw in two howlers on his last two runs. When they jump like him the margin for error is so much smaller and we've got to get him two inches higher.

"We just need to get him to not be so stupidly bold and enthusiastic. It's a hard thing to calm a horse's enthusiasm and he's always had that in him. He can come up from anywhere, that's the frightening thing, and we've got to teach him to be sensible and fiddle one and not try and take it on."

Constitution Hills jumps the final hurdle after falling in the Aintree Hurdle

Constitution Hill jumps the final hurdle at Aintree without his riderCredit: John Grossick Racing

However, the errors from his previous two starts proved to be more than just blips, and he came down two from home. Afterwards, Henderson said:

"To do it twice – you couldn't believe it really. Constitution Hill is genuinely the best jumper you'll ever see. But in that vocabulary there's just that one percent chance of doing what he's done and he's done it twice. It does worry you, of course it does, but how can you iron it out? Today he'd been fantastic the whole way.

"At a couple of hurdles when he needed to he was shortening up and that's what we've been trying to get him to do, but when you are racing like that three out you can't afford to do that, you've got to go, and maybe he came up too soon. We were sort of starting to discuss it [whether he would go to Punchestown]. I would personally have said yes. Those hurdles will suit him better."

A Punchestown no-show

Henderson felt the Punchestown hurdles would play more to Constitution Hill’s strengths and James Bowen stepped in to replace the injured Nico de Boinville. He said:

"I suppose you have to keep it simple, more than anything. I worked him the other day and he felt great. His form is better than anything else in the race when he's stood up.

"He looked to be travelling the best before falling at Aintree, although there was a long way to go over two and a half miles so anything could have happened. He looked in good form then and hopefully Punchestown should suit him."

Constitution Hill in the Grade 1 Boodles Champion Hurdle at PunchestownCredit: Patrick McCann

Constitution Hill never fired and was unconvincing in his jumping. He was eventually beaten 27 lengths and Henderson felt something was amiss:

"It's disappointing but it's a tough game. It was sad Constitution Hill had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. He was beaten two out and James [Bowen] looked after him.

"Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery. He's got such a great mind, nothing worries him, but you can't look inside his head. He's very uncomplicated, unflustered and his work was good. He was travelling well turning in but then it was like flicking a switch."

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