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It’s most embarrassing for Nicky , he’s lost the plot that day Altior got beat in the mud
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Agree HDLG. That seemed to really get to Henderson somehow.
As for Constitution Hill, before we start crowning him as a high class Flat handicapper or pattern race performer, perhaps we ought to take stock of the situation.
This is a horse that has never raced on the Flat before. He is from the point to point field. His pedigree contains no Flat winners. He has never even raced in a bumper.
Next month at the age of 9 he is going to have to enter starting stalls for the first time. I think that should be OK.
Then he is going to have to run on a surface he has never raced on before. He might have worked on it or something similar at home and we know he has worked at Kempton. But that is not the same as running in a race.
He will also have to adapt to a race run at a faster pace and higher tempo than anything he has experienced before. Is that ideal for a 9 year old?
I think the whole situation is crazy and will do nothing useful to prepare the horse for a Champion Hurdle bid.
I wonder why the BHA haven’t stepped in? Any other horse that has fallen (not just unseated) 3 times in 4 races would surely have come under very close scrutiny?
To quote the BHAs own website “It is the responsibility of the BHA and everyone involved in the sport to ensure that we do everything possible to minimise avoidable risk and to ensure that no injury or fatality occurs which could reasonably have been prevented”.
They are normally very quick to come up with other H&S rules based on spurious evidence (the recent handicapping one being such a case) but appear very reluctant to get involved here.
Allowing any horse that is clearly a danger to itself and jockey probably needs protecting. The fact that CH is very high profile should demand even more protection.
I would love to see CH winning another Champion Hurdle but in this instance I would definitely err on the side of caution. Just imagine the fallout if on Day 1 of the Festival he steps at a hurdle and is killed. Who’d want to face the rest of the meeting and try and defend the sport? It would cast a shadow over the sport for many years to come.
From the RP with Hendo commentating on the Southwell race that he is going through the stalls this week at Charlie Hills. The most interesting comment to me though was this one when talking about what jockeys might be available to ride him:
“We’re still five weeks away and I don’t know which jockeys are abroad. You’ve also got to think about who is going to be available for long parts of the season as well.”
Seems to indicate that the Southwell run is not going to be a one and done type scenario.
And if he gets thumped at Southwell …. This really is sad
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
If he gets thumped at Southwell then……..I am really not sure where they go from there as surely Cheltenham would be off the agenda
If he hacks up at Southwell he shouldn’t go for the CH. Two completely different races. One has obstacles, the other none. Obstacles seem to get in the way for CH nowadays.
Unfortunately after 3 falls in his last 4 races and one lucky not to fall the race before this, it seems too great a risk to run CH over hurdles again, which is a big shame.
I hope I’m wrong but can’t see him running in Champion Hurdle, which would be a shame as Cobden could be available.
As LD73 says if he gets thumped at Southwell can’t see them running in the Champion only 18 days later but if he hacks up at Southwell as homersimpson suggests he might, still can’t see him running in the Champion as they will surely keep him on the flat.Ryan Moore (if he is available) should be Nicky’s first port of call for a jockey for Southwell.
Personally, if he makes Cheltenham I wouldn’t replace Nico as I don’t think he has been at fault for any of the falls – regardless of what the jockey has asked him, the horse has now developed a penchant for changing his mind mid jump at a flight and I don’t believe that is something a jockey has any control over.
Whether Nico fancies riding and risking yet another potential fall from him is a completely different story. As enticing as the ride is in some respects, I am not sure I would be in any hurry to sign up if Nicky rang about the ride.
“If he makes Cheltenham I wouldn’t replace Nico”.
They will probably have to replace him. Sir Gino is a general 5/4 favourite. Is De Boinville going to get off him to ride a horse that cannot jump?
I can sort of see why Nicky would want to keep all options open after his last two Cheltenham’s. He’s actually had a good season with (i think) 4 G1s, a few G2s, the Lanzarote etc
This time last year he had the favourite for the Arkle, the champion hurdle, the champion chase and the triumph but things quickly unravelled.
CAS – Thanks for pointing out the totally obvious for me….total brain fart moment on my part!
That’s the thing for me, Nico won’t want both of them in the Champion Hurdle. He’s not going to jump off Sir Gino but on the other hand he doesn’t want anyone else on the Hill and potentially winning and then maybe losing the ride forever.
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