OpinionDenis Harney
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The Constitution Hill crossover could be racing's Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua

Denis Harney on the hurdling great's much-anticipated Flat debut

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Nicky Henderson (left): used to train I Am Maximus, who is now trained by Willie Mullins (right)
Willie Mullins is set to field a runner against Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill on FridayCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua jumps to mind when considering the prospect of Constitution Hill springing from the Southwell stalls on Friday – a crossover spectacle we will all tune into for the novelty and sheer oddness of it, rather than any expectation of a quality contest.

The most breathtaking hurdler I have ever seen (Istabraq predates my fandom) will scoot around under lights on Tapeta in a 1m4f novice contest in what is an ideal trial for, er, the Champion Hurdle – possibly. It certainly ticks the box for bizarre.

I don’t think I was alone when I expected that a race in effect created for Constitution Hill would be little more than an exhibition, and once again I can’t have been the only one chuckling when a push notification announced that Willie Mullins was set to send something across the Irish Sea in a bid to upset the apple cart.

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