All roads lead to the Champion Hurdle for Constitution Hill after he survived a hair-raising mistake in the final flight to seal victory in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Nicky Henderson’s stable star was nothing short of sensational in his bid for bantamweight glory in 2023, but was unable to defend his crown last term due to well-documented health problems.
However, proving that his ability remains intact when he successfully defended the Christmas ban at Kempton Park on his Boxing Day return, Henderson decided to send the eight-year-old off on Festival Trials a month later and he was a 1/12 chance against five inferior rivals to send.
After leading Brentford Hope from the start, Nico de Boinville felt the pace was too relaxed for Constitution Hill to go down the straight back and allowed him to walk jumping the fourth barrier.
He didn’t see another horse from there and while the packed stands gasped as he paddled the final hurdle, it did little to stem his momentum as he charged up the hill under his stationary rider to score by three lengths.
Brentford Hope boxed into second place and Spirits Bay came back in third.
De Boinville admitted ITV Racing:“My heart was in my mouth, he was doing everything so easily, but he found his footing and is barely blowing. I’m in awe of him, just mad at myself more than anything.”
