It’s been revealed that Nicky Henderson’s 2023 Champion Hurdle winner, Constitution Hill, will remain over hurdles for the 2023/24 National Hunt season, despite some horse racing fans expecting a switch to chasing.
Constitution Hill Connections To Stick To Hurdling Despite Chasing Rumours
Horse races like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Arkle Chase and Queen Mother Champions Chase – all over fences – had been talked about as possible targets for the upcoming jumps season for CONSTITUTION HILL.
However, the news filtering out of the horse racing media today is that connections of the star Nicky Henderson-trained and Michael Buckley-owned 6 year-old are opting for another campaign over hurdles.
Henderson told the Racing Post
“He will stay over hurdles. It’s not really about him schooling but our biggest decision was making up in our own minds whether he would stay three and a quarter miles and I know Nico felt pretty strongly that he wouldn’t.
“You can look at it that if he can go around breaking track records over two miles over hurdles like he can, how in the world are you going to stay three and a quarter? And what’s the point in switching to fences to run over two miles? There’s nothing to be achieved, there’s equal status and prestige in the Champion Hurdle as there is in the Champion Chase. The Gold Cup was the attraction.”
Henderson has mopped up the Champion Hurdle nine times during his career, including last season with Constitution Hill (winning by 9 lengths, watch below) and the best UK horse racing betting sites feel that win number ten will be on the cards in 2024 for the big ‘day one’ Cheltenham Festival race.
Constitution Hill, who is 7-from-7 over hurdles, is @ 1/2 with QuinnBet to win the Champion Hurdle again and join other recent ‘back-to-back’ winners this century Honeysuckle, Buveur d’Air, who was also trained by Henderson, and Hardy Eustace.
Next best in the 2024 Champion Hurdle betting market is last season’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle winner Impaire Et Passe @ 5/1 and the 2023 Champion Hurdle runner-up State Man @ 13/2 with QuinnBet.
Their trainer, Willie Mullins, has also confirmed that both State Man and Impaire Et Passe will also remain over hurdles for the 2023/24 season.
Likely Targets For Constitution Hill For 2023/24 NH Season
Last season Constitution Hill started his hurdling campaign in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle – a race trainer Nicky Henderson has won a record breaking 8 times – and winning by a stonking 12 lengths.
This is the expected return target again for Constitution Hill, with the Newcastle Grade One hurdle set to be staged on Saturday December 2nd this year – slightly later than normal.
The Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, on Boxing Day, is another option after Newcastle – a race Constitution Hill won by 17 lengths last season.
While, if all goes to plan in those two races, it’s anticipated that Henderson will then give his star hurdler a small break before heading back to the Champions Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 12th March.
After taking the 2023 Champions Hurdle, Constitution Hill also won the Aintree Hurdle at the Grand National Festival last season, when stepping up to 2m4f for the first time.
Constitution Hill Career In Numbers
- Runs: 7
- Wins: 7
- Age: 6 (note, he’ll be 7 by the time the 2024 Champion Hurdle is run)
- Total Prize Money Won: £657,607
- Grade One Hurdle Wins: 6
WATCH: Constitution Hill Winning The 2023 Champion Hurdle
2024 Champion Hurdle Betting Odds
See below the latest 2024 Champion Hurdle betting odds from QuinnBet.
- Constitution Hill 1/2
- Impaire Et Passe 5/1
- State Man 13/2
- Marine Nationale 7/1
- Lossiemouth 12/1
- Vauban 20/1
Note: Odds are subject to change and others on request
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