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My take on the ‘riderless Constitution Hill jumping an obstacle’ could be a stratagem to find a proper/suitable jockey to ride the horse.
Will this rule ever apply to him:
According to rule (L)17, the BHA may suspend a horse from running if its “previous performances suggest the horse may be a risk to itself, to another horse or to a jockey; there are other welfare concerns; or any other circumstances where it would be appropriate to do so”.
Rule (L)21 also states: “Any horse suspended due to concerns with its jumping ability shall be required to pass a jumping assessment before its suspension is lifted.”
A spokesman said jumping assessments were dealt with on a “case-by-case basis and engagement with the parties involved”.
On the subject of Constitution Hill’s jumping, I agree with you completely.
But there’s a different conversation going on about his ability. So I would like to ask those who think his form is worthless: name a better hurdler on form.
Regards the jockey and the hurdles, what happened when he went to Punchestown? He didnt fall but he was pretty bad jumping and they were not padded and James Bowen rode him
I can see why they might like to try him on the flat. If he’s not much good it’s not really going to sully his reputation. Saying that, the flat has it’s perils. I’m sure Nick hasn’t forgotten losing his Chester Cup winner No Heretic and the useful dual purpose mare Veiled on the level.
“So I would like to ask those who think his form is worthless: name a better hurdler on form.”
Isn’t that like saying name a better current 2 mile chaser on form than El Fabiolo (top rating 175)?Goshen was once rated 164, higher than anything bar Constitution Hill in this year’s Fighting Fifth, but within 4 runs – the same number as CH has had since the International- he was down to 149. Ok the 164 was overinflated and the rapid drop was a bit of an an overreaction, as subsequent races showed. But still, two and a half years after that official zenith of his ability in the spring of his 5yo year- the same length of time after CH’s zenith- Goshen, having bobbed back up a bit, was 10lb lower than his top rating, on the slide and would decline another stone by the end of the year.
Glad his current form is F5FF , that’s some of the worst form in whole country , I cant think of another hurdler with worse , he can’t jump hurdles anymore , it’s that simple , ok you can try again but if something happens to him then racing is going to take a lot of flak , it’s paddock time
In the 04/05 season, Barry Cash rode Brave Inca 6 times. He never won a race which included a few very close defeats before falling at Aintree.
He was then Jocked off and Tony McCoy took over a few weeks later for Punchestown and the foreseeable future. McCoy won on him at first attempt and would go on to win 6 from his first 8 rides on the horse including a Champion Hurdle. Noel Meade was adamant McCoy made the difference at Punchestown.
I believe McCoy would’ve won the 2005 Champion Hurdle on him also.My point is. Horse racing is big business. There is absolutely huge money at stake in this sport and these horses primes are short. When somethings gone stale, you need to make changes if you want to stay at the top.
To throw away a horses career just because Nico might throw a tantrum is absolutely crazy.“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
Here’s a very interesting analysis by ex Irish jock Paddy Flood (won the 2008 Irish Grand National) Now jockey coach. Long story short, he blames Nico. https://x.com/irishracing/status/1995819450604335154?s=20
Interesting take from Flood and as an ex-jockey who has been there and done it, he clearly should be listened to respectfully.
I agree with him about De Boinville at Aintree. He had a shocker that day. He also put the horse in a poor tactical position. It can only be a matter of opinion but I don’t believe he would have beaten Lossiemouth over her best distance that day, even if he had stood up.
I also agree that The New Lion had the worse fall, in the sense it was heavier and could have left more of a mark. He is not one I would want to back next time out.
I like to think that connections of Constitution Hill could take a sparkle of inspiration from the great old warrior … Sea Pigeon.
I watched all Constitution Hill races: conclusion: he must be left alone at jumps: each fall has come from a jockey manoeuvre pre take-off. Keen, nervy – at first hurdle Punchestown after 2 falls, he went so high Bowen was up his neck: he’s remembering falls.
Though often slick, just as often careful with biggish jumps. On 1st Cheltenham run he stepped at the last on first circuit in identical fashion to later errors. Might be nothing, but he always carries head to left.
I think Nico is an excellent jockey, but if CH is going to run again over hurdles a new jockey is a no brainer. Confidence between horse and jockey is clearly not there and Nico’s apprehension is etched all over him.
I am sure Nico gave up the ride on another of Nicky’s horses in a similar but less high profile situation. Can’t remember the horses name.
Not sure who. Not James Bowen, already had a go and i am still not convinced he’s 100% a big day jockey. Sean Bowen would certainly be positive on him. Nicky uses Hughes now and again. Wonder what weight AP is these days?
HDLG, has constitution hill slept with your wife or something? Are you on a ticket that says he’ll never win another race again?
Why the desperation to slag the horse constantly?
He’s the most talented hurdler I’ve ever seen. Form tells you that! I still believe he’s got lots left to achieve before he’s retired. He’s 8! Yes his hurdling has been poor lately. None more so than Saturday. But I’m still hopeful (rather than confident) he can get back to somewhere near his best.
I don’t think the jockey is in any way the issue, this is a lack of confidence and self doubt in the horse’s head when he is asked up off a long stride.
He had that fall in the Champion Hurdle and for me (hindsight being a great thing) his confidence went with it – if you watch the hurdle before he fell that day, he met it on a similarly long stride and sailed over it no problem but at the next he half put down and stepped on the hurdle and that has been the case with the other two subsequent falls as well.
Nico I don’t think did anything wrong in any of the falls as he had presented the horse correctly at the flights and asked CH to jump off a long stride at Cheltenham & Newcastle but at AIntree he sat still (because the stride wasn’t there) and held onto him but the horse let fly anyway and then changed his mind mid leap and once again stepped on the hurdle.
Compare those three jumps to the one he put in at the final hurdle in his Champion Hurdle winning year and the difference is that he was fully committed to jumping the flight with both his fore legs and hooves extended fully out in front of him….and it was a good thing he did because he barely cleared the top bar of that flight and had he not he would have fell and that was jumping the old birch style hurdle too………so it has always been a fine margin he is playing with.
Short of going right back to basic and teaching him to jump from scratch all over again (which is a time consuming thing if done properly), I don’t know just how you go about instilling that confidence back into the horse especially when you consider that he is hurdling great on the Seven Barrows gallops (albeit he is being schooled over the old birch hurdles).
Continuing to follow that same routine and then sending him jump racing is really risking the horse because he doesn’t seem to be learning from his falls and at some point the law of averages/luck are going to turn on him in as far as his next fall, could very well end up being his last and potentially (as much as I hate to say it) a fatal one.
Those that think he can still be the horse he was 2 to 3 years ago need to take off the rose tinted glasses as even the form of his 2024 Christmas Hurdle win is a long way short of his best….even ignoring the fact that we didn’t see Lossiemouth at her best in that race that day, Burdett Road would have finished a whole lot closer than the 9L he was beaten by had he not tried to take part of the last flight home with him and lost his hind legs doing it and lets also not forget that Nico had to resort to using the whip a few times on the run in to win by just 2½L.
If they can sort out his jumping issue (if being an extremely big one) then of course he would be right in the mix for a Champion Hurdle albeit maybe not the clear and outright favourite….but nothing I have seen (so far) this season convinces me that they have the time to sort it out especially given the limited races Hendo would consider for the horse prior to Cheltenham (Kempton likely already off the table) and will they really want to risk him given that his good jumping at home doesn’t now seem to travel with him to the racecourse.
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