Finding the perfect racehorse is the goal of every breeder in horse racing. With each generation of foals introduced to the track, they are hoping to find at least one who produces something special.
At the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, a star was born, as Constitution Hill destroyed his rivals in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, to announce himself as a horse who was the new star of the sport.
The unbeaten eight-year-old goes into this year’s leading meeting in jumps racing as the odds-on favourite at 1/3 in the Cheltenham Festival races betting for the Champion Hurdle. It is the premier hurdles race at the meeting, and it has been won by some of the greatest hurdlers in history.
Nicky Henderson is a trainer who is used to handling star racehorses. He is third best at 9/1 in the latest Cheltenham top trainer odds to be the leading trainer at this year’s Festival, which reflects how strong his stable is. However, it will be Constitution Hill that he will be most nervous about his year, as the Champion Hurdle gives the horse a chance to show how special he is.
Five Wins from Five Starts
This season is just Constitution Hill’s second campaign of his career. He won all three of his races as a novice, with victories coming at the highest level in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown and then the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Henderson’s runner has looked even more impressive in his second year on the track. He is now out of novice company and taking on the best two-mile hurdlers in his division. The six-year-old showed his class on his seasonal reappearance in Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle. He prevailed on the bridle, cruising to a 12-length success ahead of former Champion Hurdle winner Epatante.
TweetA second win followed over the festive period at Kempton. Under the hands of his usual pilot Nico de Boinville, he once again hit the front of the field with ease, before stretching away for another Grade One success by a large margin.
Comparisons with Greats
Although Constitution Hill is already a three-time Grade One winner, he remains in the early stages of his career, which is what is exciting for horse racing fans. They are expecting even more from the gelding in the future before he retires.
His trainer Henderson called the horse a ‘freak’ following his latest win at Kempton. He is now being compared to some of the highest-rated hurdlers in history, including Night Nurse, Istabraq, Monksfield and Persian War.
TweetThe record for the most Champion Hurdle wins by any horse is three. Given his age, that is something that his connections will be optimistic about matching at the very least. Honeysuckle won the race for a second time in 2022, while Buveur d’Air, also trained by Henderson, was successful for a second time in 2018.
With no plans to switch to fences any time soon, Constitution Hill is likely to remain over hurdles. If he keeps on improving, he could go on to establish himself as one of the greatest jumps horses in the history of the sport.
