'It's like queueing up to see Messi' - crowds flock to Constitution Hill on hugely successful Lambourn open day

Every sport needs its stars and thousands stepped through the gates at Seven Barrows in the hope of catching a glimpse of Constitution Hill on Friday.

Those taking advantage of the opportunity on the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Lambourn open day were provided with a special moment, albeit one for which they had to wait very patiently. 

Twenty-one racing yards in the village were open to the public from 9am but by the time Nicky Henderson appeared shortly after 10.30am – having overseen two lots and completed next week's entries – there was little room to manoeuvre as long queues had formed to see the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner and his noisy neighbour Jonbon.

"It's like queueing up to see Messi in a box," said one youngster, who bit the bullet and waited in line to see the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner.

Ben Firth, his sister Charlie and mother Jill, who travelled from Cranham, Gloucester, had to wait around 15 minutes to see the eight-year-old, but others had much longer as the queues almost formed a full loop around the Seven Barrows forecourt.  

Sprinter Sacre has a pick of grass at Seven BarrowsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Firth said: "We came straight here to see Constitution Hill and Jonbon. We've been on this open day a few times now. The people are so lovely and the atmosphere is wonderful. We had money on him at Cheltenham when he fell, but we had a decent win on Doddiethegreat. Racing has always been in our blood and although I live in London now I try to get to Cheltenham as much I can."

Those who braved the queue were able to see two multiple Grade 1 winners for the price of one as Jonbon also proved popular with visitors. He looked more relaxed than ever after his Aintree exploits, perhaps because he heads for the Celebration Chase at Sandown, where he is unbeaten, or perhaps because he was celebrating his birthday, nine years to the day since he was born. 

Ed Walker opened his gates to the public for Lambourn's Open DayCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I'll treat him to a few carrots," said his trusty work-rider Paddy Murphy, who kept a careful eye on the star chaser while the public took selfies and videos. "He used to hate people and all of this. The first year we did this we had to stop people coming in, but now he doesn't care."

Past greats Sprinter Sacre and Altior also drew plenty of attention, which goes some way to explaining why Henderson's longtime driver Neil Taylor had to keep people at bay before 9am to allow morning work to be completed without any distractions.

Deeper into the village, there was an upbeat atmosphere as around 7,500 people weaved in and out of yards to get a greater understanding of how the training centre operates.

Almaqam in his box at Kingsdown Stables where Ed Walker opened his gates to the publicCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

At Ed Walker's Kingsdown Stables, the exciting Almaqam received plenty of attention. Reflecting on the morning, his work-rider Charles Guet said: "Everyone loves Ten Bob Tony because he's flashy, but people in racing like this lad. He's doing very well and hopefully he'll run next week. He's in at Sandown on Friday, but he could run at Kempton on Monday."

The Grand National-winning yard of Rhonehurst, home of Warren Greatrex, was a popular spot and assistant trainer Olly Kozak said it was the busiest the yard has been.

It was a day that had something for everybody, including a chat with local vet James Boardman at Dan and Claire Kubler's base, and prizes on offer including shares in Monsieur Fernand at Oliver Signy's stable.

Read more:

'If I sit here naked, the cameras won't follow me' - Nico de Boinville's cunning plan to avoid spotlight after Constitution Hill fall 

Willie Mullins launches a four-strong attack on the Sussex Champion Hurdle - plus final fields for Fairyhouse Grade 1s 

200-1 shot beaten almost 50 lengths in five previous starts becomes joint-biggest-priced British Flat winner

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