Constitution Hill OUT of Cheltenham Trials Day with dirty scope and won’t be seen again until festival in March
CONSTITUTION Hill is out of Cheltenham’s Trials Day with a dirty scope.
It means the unbeaten Champion Hurdle superstar will not be seen until March’s festival.
Henderson confirmed his Seven Barrows sensation was not 100 per cent fit in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Cheltenham hosts their Trials Day – the final meeting before the festival – on January 27.
Constitution Hill has raced just once this year, winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The statement read: “We have reluctantly decided that Constitution Hill won’t be able to run in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham at the end of next week.
“A routine scope last week wasn’t entirely satisfactory and a follow-up this morning shows the issue hasn’t resolved and therefore there would not be time to get him ready for next week.
“In the meantime he will continue with light exercise, be re-scoped in a fortnight’s time and then start his preparation for March.
“Both Michael (Buckley, owner) and I and all the team had very much hoped for a better result this morning so that we could run on Saturday week but in the horse’s and indeed everybody’s interests, it would be foolish to do so and this does not effect any future plans.”
It means punters are set to see arguably the greatest horse in training only three times this season.
Constitution Hill won the Aintree Hurdle at April’s Grand National meeting last year and will likely defend his crown there.
A run at Punchestown Festival could be on the cards but Constitution Hill has shown a liking for the Merseyside track.
The seven-year-old was due to make his seasonal comeback in last December’s Fighting Fifth hurdle at Newcastle but that was cancelled.
The rearranged contest took place at Sandown but Constitution Hill was withdrawn.
The horse has been simply untouchable on the track, with nothing getting closer than three lengths in his eight runs under rules.
He is a best-price 1-3 to win a second Champion Hurdle and take another step to becoming, potentially, the greatest hurdler ever.
On the Betfair Exchange some £168,000 has been matched on the race and £140,000 of it is on Constitution Hill.
Nico de Boinville, who has ridden Constitution Hill in all his races, is in a race against time to be back to ride Jonbon at Ascot on Saturday.
If he gets the green light from BHA doctors in his recovery from a broken collarbone he would certainly have made the trip to Cheltenham to partner the horse once more.
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