Constitution Hill was sublime but Shishkin showed why De Boinville is a masterful jockey

The first words spoken by the winning trainer to the media neatly summed up Constitution Hill's Aintree experience.

"He had a nice day out," said Nicky Henderson, almost likening what had just occurred to visiting the local stately home or a trip around Ikea. Truth be told, completing a lap of any Ikea would sap more energy from most folk than Constitution Hill expended on this sunny afternoon in Liverpool. What happens on an imminent morning in Lambourn, when Constitution Hill first jumps a fence, will have more bearing on the story of next season.

What Henderson sees and Nico de Boinville feels that morning will potentially dictate whether Constitution Hill spends another campaign – and therefore almost certainly the rest of his career – doing what he has done so spectacularly in seven consecutive races, or instead takes on the new challenge of competing over fences.