English/Ire
'We are aware of the possible consequences of running over hurdles’ – Constitution Hill ruled out of Champion Hurdle
Nicky Henderson has confirmed that leading Unibet Champion Hurdle contender Constitution Hill will not take his chance in the Tuesday feature next month, with connections instead opting to focus on a career on the Flat.
Constitution Hill's participation in the Champion Hurdle hung in the balance on Wednesday morning after a schooling session at Seven Barrows, but the former Champion Hurdle hero was subject to an alarming market drift around lunchtime and shortly after, Henderson confirmed that his stable star would not line-up at Prestbury Park on the opening day.
A statement on X read: "Michael Buckley and I have not surprisingly spent a lot of time soul searching and thinking over Constitution Hill's future and have sadly concluded that he will not be running in the Unibet Champion Hurdle the week after next.
"This is a sad day for a lot of us, particularly the National Hunt fraternity that would have liked to have seen Constitution Hill try to regain his crown and sad for all here, especially Nico [de Boinville], who has spent so much time trying to iron out our jumping issues.
"However, he leaves the jumping world sound, happy and ready for the next chapter. It has been a staggering journey so far and Michael has had to endure some dark days, but of course enjoyed the enormous highs and thrills of an extraordinary horse."
Henderson, who described the decision as "the biggest headache of his life" when talking to the media at Kempton yesterday, will now look to plot out a route on the Flat for Constitution Hill, with races such as the Sandown's Henry II Stakes and even the Melbourne Cup mentioned as potential targets following his emphatic nine and a half-length Flat debut success at Southwell last Friday.
He added: "Last Friday night was a magical occasion for us all and we so appreciated his popularity and the love and admiration everybody showed to Conrad, as he is fondly called here. It was a terrific night, and I believe British horseracing and we are very aware of the public perception and the possible consequences of running over hurdles. We feel it is not fair to ask him and Nico to do it again.
"He showed on Friday night that he has another career in front of him that could possibly take us all to new playing fields. I would like to thank the thousands of Constitution Hill's supporters and admirers that have shared their sentiments with us and advice on how we should proceed, and I would have to say the poll was as near 50-50 as you could get."
Constitution Hill may not be set to line-up against the likes of The New Lion and Brighterdaysahead in next month's Champion Hurdle, but Henderson confirmed the star son of Blue Bresil would be present on the opening day, with Cheltenham Racecourse inviting the nine-year-old to parade in front of an expected packed crowd.
The Seven Barrows handler said: "Cheltenham has kindly invited Constitution Hill to parade on Champion Hurdle day to give all his National Hunt supporters the opportunity to say goodbye."
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