Constitution Hill should never be asked to jump a hurdle in public again | Greg Wood

"Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley are still mulling over the options for Constitution Hill after his third fall in four starts at Newcastle on Saturday, but the simple fact that Henderson floated the question can we go on asking him to do it? in the immediate aftermath suggests that, in his heart, he already knows the answer. Whatever else might beckon for the eight-year-old and a recent 160+ rating over timber suggests that he could compete at a very decent level on the Flat this is a horse that should not be asked to jump a hurdle in public again."

"But Constitution Hill's decline has been so steep and abrupt, and so obviously the result of a loss of confidence at the obstacles, that the risk-reward calculation for the horse, his connections and for the sport in general is entirely different. Whatever else ailed him during a stop-start second half to his career, Sprinter Sacre's jumping was always rock-solid. Constitution Hill's problem, though, was as plain as day at Newcastle on Saturday: the mid-air moment when uncertainty kicked in."

Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley are considering options after Constitution Hill's third fall in four starts at Newcastle. The eight-year-old has a recent 160+ timber rating and could potentially run on the Flat, but his confidence over obstacles has deteriorated sharply. The horse displayed a split-second of indecision at racing speed that caused the latest fall, making the risk-reward balance very different from successful comebacks like Sprinter Sacre. Despite good schooling, the mid-air hesitation at a race obstacle reveals a fundamental problem that argues against asking him to jump in public again.

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