'I could see him winning a Gold Cup one day' - racing royalty hail Constitution Hill

Gold Cup winners Jenny Pitman, Simon Sherwood and Noel Chance, along with Grand National hero Bob Champion and more, have their say on a brilliant Champion Hurdle winner . . .

JP McManus
It's hard to describe in words. He was awesome and is very special – we could go broke trying to find one to beat him!

Willie Mullins
State Man ran well but just wasn't good enough. I suppose we have seen a horse who might be here for a few years. Constitution Hill looks a real one. We think a lot of our fellow and we'll have to find races somewhere else away from him, I'm afraid.

Charlie Swan
He looks phenomenal. He's the best horse I've seen since Istabraq. You can never compare eras, but he did break the track record by five seconds last year, so he's a phenomenal horse. Now they just need to keep him sound. I think it would be a shame to go jumping fences because he's so good. I'd be afraid for my life to ride a horse as good as that over fences. You can ride him in front or behind, so he's like Istabraq in that sense. You can put him anywhere, and he's such a good jumper. It's great – racing needs a horse like him.

Sir Anthony McCoy
You look at him and wonder, could he win however many Champion Hurdles or could he do a Dawn Run, who knows? He looks like one of those horses. It's just a question of what do you want to do with him. Do you want to run him in the Ascot Gold Cup during the summer or do you want to come back and win the Gold Cup here in a couple of years? Looking at that, you think, as long as he stays fit and healthy, what's ever going to beat him in a Champion Hurdle because he's doing a half-speed and then it's like pressing a button. And he is such a simple horse, it doesn't matter where you ride him. He looks like a push-button ride.

Jenny Pitman
That was awesome and I'm just glad I'm here to see it, even if it was from my house and not from the racetrack. It warms your cockles. Everybody loves good horses and he has the most unbelievable temperament. This horse is extraordinary. Have we seen one like him in our lifetime previously? I'm not too sure, but I won't see one like him again in mine. I was watching what he was doing in the race and while he was minding his own business, he's quietly aware of what's going on. He weighs things up rather than waiting for something bad to happen and those sorts of horses make your heart beat very fast. Let's enjoy him because he's a sheer delight.

Simon Sherwood
The way he quickened up off the bend, it looked like he'd just been let loose. It's so difficult to compare eras but he looks exceptional. He looks the complete deal and has the most wonderful temperament, as well as having an amazing engine. Those are the two components you need to be a special horse. He's got the mentality of a legend and takes it all in his stride. He gets out there and performs when he needs to and it's great for Nicky Henderson and Michael Buckley. Whether it's a good era or a moderate one, who knows? But he's making them look second division compared to him.

Bob Champion
What a fabulous performance. He was only ever in half-speed and never looked like getting beat at any stage of the race. I could see him winning a Gold Cup one day. He jumps for fun, looks like he'd gallop forever, has a great attitude and I'm sure he'll get further. I love the way he jumps and uses himself. He's so impressive and good horses like him and Honeysuckle are great for racing.

Noel Chance
That was excellent and I think he could have doubled the winning margin if he'd wanted to. He's such an excellent and economical jumper. He's the epitome of a top-class hurdler – he pings them. He could make the running if you wanted to and that's the sign of a good horse. He's marvellous for our sport.

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