Constitution Hill is on a road to greatness. The 5-year-old Gelding has won 4 out of 4 Hurdle races and 4 out of 4 rules races, giving him an impeccable record. Many of you might be familiar with Constitution Hill as one of Honeysuckle’s main rivals. The two horses developed somewhat of a rivalry during last year’s Cheltenham event, when both performed rather admirably at the Champion Hurdle (though Honeysuckle won the race).
Many were looking forward to seeing Constitution Hill’s rematch with Honeysuckle at Cheltenham 2022/23. As some of you certainly know, fans and punters will be able to watch the Cheltenham Festival live this year. Though, if you are only doing it for the Honeysuckle/Constitution Hill beef, you will be sorely disappointed, as Honeysuckle is not very likely to compete.
But don’t fret. Constitution Hill is well on his way to the festival. Not only that, but he looks good doing it. Just recently, the brown bay gelding competed at the Fighting Fifth in Newcastle and won a stunning victory. Many have already named him as one of the best horses running today, a title which he certainly earns more and more with each passing day.
Constitution Hill’s Newcastle Victory
During the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, Constitution Hill competed against Not So Sleepy and Epatante. Both excellent horses, who were the favorites to win. For his part, Epatante (a stablemate of Constitution Hill) is a two-time Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner. So, unsurprisingly, he was the favorite to win the race. And while the odds were in his favor, the track was not. Constitution Hill left his stablemate in the dust, beating him by 12 lengths. This most recent win has definitely increased our little gelding’s chances of competing at the Cheltenham Festival.
Constitution Hill was also scheduled at Ascot a few weeks back. Sadly, as many of you might already know, a ton of horses withdrew from the Ascot race, in large part due to unsuitable ground. And Constitution Hill was among the first horses to be withdrawn. Obviously, the withdrawals left punters frustrated and confused. However, on the other hand, it is understandable. Managers and trainers have a responsibility to protect both horse and jockey. So, if they feel the ground is not properly cared for, they are left with very little choice but to withdraw their animals. In fact, Nicky Henderson, one of the more notable trainers, claimed that he wouldn’t let any horse run on the track at the state it was in.
Regardless, Constitution Hill’s absence from the Ascot did not leave him worse for wear. He continues to show that he is one of the greats running today. And certainly still remains the favorite to win the Champion Chase Hurdle in 2023.
Constitution Hill at Cheltenham
For anyone new to the sport, you might be wondering what makes Constitution Hill so great? Sure, he won a race here and there. But why does that make him the favorite to win something as important as the Cheltenham Champion Chase? Well, you’d be interested to know that this will not be the brown gelding’s first time at Cheltenham.
In 2022, our boy won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in tandem with jockey Nico de Boinville and trainer Nicky Henderson. He also performed rather admirably across a plethora of other races throughout the year. Indeed, when most fans of racing talk about Constitution Hill, they talk about him in the context of “the best horse since…”
If you need any more proof of the brown gelding’s greatness, look no further than the facts. When oddmakers were still expecting Honeysuckle to compete at Cheltenham, they ranked her as second favorite to win, behind Constitution Hill. In other words, they believed that CH had better odds than a two-twin Champion Hurdle champion, who has gone undefeated in no less than 17 starts. If that doesn’t spell out greatness, we don’t know what does.
Conclusion
Cheltenham is fast approaching. As always, it will be taking place at the beginning of the year, around early February. In other words, right around the end of the holiday season, after all the gifts have been long wrapped and unwrapped, Constitution Hill will be bringing his fans another gift in the form of a spectacular race at one of England’s premier horse racing events.
