English/Ire
Constitution Hill’s Champion Hurdle participation still 50/50
“It’s 50/50, I promise you. Every day I change my mind, but we’ve got to make a decision.”
Nicky Henderson described the decision whether to run Constitution Hill in next month's Unibet Champion Hurdle as the "biggest headache" of his life after the nine-year-old returned to winning ways on the Flat at Southwell last Friday.
The former Champion Hurdle hero has fallen on three of his last four starts over hurdles and following his destructive Flat debut, connections now face a huge decision as to whether he lines up in the Tuesday feature on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival next month.
"It's been staggering, that was one of the most extraordinary nights we will experience," said Henderson, reflecting on his Southwell success.
"We went home thinking we'd just been through something that was surreal, and it was followed up the next day by the press and on the television.
"It's been unbelievable, I think it's been wonderful and we're in this game because we love it. That's what it comes down to, you love horses, it's a fantastic game and if that's what racing can do for people, then we are very lucky.
"I'm just in the privileged position of having this guy that is causing the biggest headache of my life! But it also created what was one of the greatest days of my whole term in this office.
"In a funny way he is the most boring horse in the world, if you lived with him, you'd lead a very boring life because he is so predictable. He has even become predictable at falling over!"
Constitution Hill will now prepare for a telling schooling session later in the week, with Henderson also set to sit down with owner Michael Buckley to discuss their options.
"We're going to do something tomorrow and then Michael and I have got to sit down, it is as simple as that," he said.
"Absolutely everybody has an opinion. I've got two great piles of paper, and then all the ones from people telling me how to school him over the years! The post box is rammed full.
"It's 50/50, I promise you. Every day I change my mind, but we've got to make a decision."
Not only does Henderson have the immediate headache of deciding whether his star lines up over hurdles once more, but should Constitution Hill's future lie on the flat, the Seven Barrows handler must plot potential routes to take on the level.
Of the potential options and what his optimum scenario might be on the flat, Henderson added: "The one thing he did do the other night was that he must have opened himself up to some sort of Flat career. Why didn't the idiotic trainer realise this five years ago? Then it would be simple, wouldn't it?"
"The Ascot Gold Cup is a different ball game; there are two things against that. One is getting the ground we would run him on; he's a very big, heavy horse. Secondly, I don't think he'd stay two and a half miles.
"He'd get two miles, obviously, but I don't think he'd want any further.
"The ground would be a concern in Melbourne; you'd be thinking about a spring and autumn campaign where you'd take June and July and probably try to get a break in there.
"Realistically if he bent his knees eight times he'd win (the Champion Hurdle), he's got to jump. The sadness is Sir Gino is in hospital because if he was here, we might not have this dilemma. You could run them both obviously.
"If we go Flat racing we've got to sit down and work it out because one doodle around Southwell doesn't make him favourite for the Melbourne Cup – that's a long way away, I think.
"The Henry II (Sandown) is a race that springs to mind. There's a lot of races, every racecourse seems to have chipped in, the Coronation Cup, York have been on. I have got my diary, and I have got a Flat programme (book), believe it or not!"
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