Constitution Hill has already etched its name in the history of the Cheltenham Festival with two of the most dominant performances in living memory. The question on the minds of all racing fans is how far can he go? Nicky Henderson has made a habit of producing dominant horses in the mold of Sprinter Sacre, Altior and Buveur D’Air. Even those greats could struggle to match the pace and power of Constitution Hill at Cheltenham Festival.
After winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 by one of the greatest margins in the history of the race, all eyes were on the six-year-old on his return to the Champion Hurdle. He duly delivered yet another astounding performance for the Cheltenham crowd, storming to victory by nine lengths ahead of a quality competitor in the form of State Man.
What does the future hold for Constitution Hill?
Henderson now faces a decision regarding the future of his charge. Does he leave him over hurdles or can he push the boundaries to steer him towards a career as a chaser as he did with Altior? After such a dominant performance at the Champion Hurdle, where he was the overwhelming favorite in the Cheltenham 2023 tips from the second he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle a year earlier, there is little more he can accomplish as a hurdler.
Henderson can look to another one of his great charges in the form of Buveur D’Air. The British thoroughbred won the Champion Hurdle in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, and his push for a third was only ended by a dramatic fall at the event in 2019.
Henderson had previously won three-straight Champion Hurdles with his charge See You Then in the 1980s, so the ground has already been covered by two of Constitution Hill’s stablemates. Altior dominated the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle Chase before winning the Champion Chase in back-to-back years. Henderson flirted with the idea of pushing Altior toward the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but never pulled the trigger.
Constitution Hill is a special horse and he may just have the talent to convince Henderson to move out of the comfort zone of the Champion Hurdle.
Could Constitution Hill become a Gold Cup horse?
He certainly has the talent to become anything he wants to be at Cheltenham. It would require a different approach and whether a switch to chasing would bring out the best in the six-year-old remains to be seen.
Time is on Henderson’s side, but he will not want to waste the potential of a horse that can seemingly brush aside all opponents. It is not just the victories that have been impressive, it is the manner in which he has achieved them against top-quality opposition.
In 2022, he faced Dysart Dynamo and his stablemate Jonbon and blew both of them away with his speed down the stretch. State Man was a strong contender against him in the Champion Hurdle, but he failed to make an impression in his pursuit.
There’s no reason why that cannot be the case if he were to switch to become a chaser he could land in the Champion Chase next year and emulate Altior before taking the next step towards the Gold Cup. Constitution Hill could well end his career as the most decorated horse in the history of Cheltenham Festival.