Sunday Times
6 Sept 2026
A man with a white Stetson blew bubbles into the sunshine. The statues of jumping legends Desert Orchid and Kauto Star looked on in stone-faced amusement. It was Wild West Day at Kempton and Constitution Hill the most brilliant hurdler we have ever seen was trying the wildest racing dream dream yet.
Could he, 6 years on from being beaten a head in a point to point by a horse rejoicing in the name of Anyharminasking, compete with flat horses warming up for the Autumn’s biggest prizes. The late defections of Tornado Alert and Almeric meant Constitution Hill had just four rivals but they had already won 20 races and £2.4m between them, Dante and Voltigeur Stakes winner’s next target would be the Champion Stakes and Gethin’s plan was to be the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.
Constitution Hill’s may have been the fleetest footed of hurdlers until he lost his jumping nerve but while he certainly looked impressive in his two flat race earlier in the year they were in a much lower grade and the last one was on this track way back in March since when he has had a jumper’s holiday out in the field. While the Henderson camp had done enough work on him to get here back on his 566 kilo racing weight and he looked pretty hard to those of us used to seeing him at the winter game he still looked something of a burly brute compared to the likes of Pride Of Arras, five years his junior.
Nonetheless we had to dream. Especially when you saw the sauntering, stretching elegance of his stride as Billy Loughnane swept him past us on the way to the mile and a half start. Each of his four rivals had blots on their recent copybooks so hope continued although the grey Gethin was a picture of composure compared to his sweaty state before the Eclipse Stakes and Pride Of Arras seemed in a much more tractable mood than when he refused to go in the stalls in the Juddmonte last time.
It was never going to be easy. Constitution Hill was a touch slow from the stalls and settled at the back alongside the royal runner Warrant Holder while Gethin made the running accompanied by Dubai Future with Pride Of Arras in third. Callum Rodrigues set steady twelve and a half second furlongs up front until switching up the tempo as they ran to the turn. Loughnane had Constitution Hill just a length off Pride Of Arras as they quickened and for a brief moment the great stride was almost a match as the other horse came through to lead and Constitution Hill got almost alongside Gethin’s grey flank.
But his effort could not hold. Gethin ran on to get within a length of Pride Of Arras who now heads for the Champion Stakes. Warrant Holder rallied to finish two lengths away third and Constitution Hill edged out Dubai Future a further two and three quarter lengths at the line. A five and three quarter length defeat by a horse official rated 13 pounds superior and after a 164 lay off was in many ways the most admirable of efforts. But it was also a reality check.
“We always said that today was going to tell us what to do next,” said Nicky Henderson afterwards. “I don’t think you’d want to go under a mile and a half and I do think he will come on for this. He got there as if it was going to happen and he couldn’t quite. He’ll sharpen up and it will be interesting to see the reaction to that as he will now be eligible for some lucrative handicaps.”
Some people feel there is something a bit below stairs in Constitution Hill plying his trade in such company. But this is the most popular racehorse in the country. He is clearly fit and well and is likely to be given another race soon to further sharpen his fitness. He has been bred and reared and trained to race albeit originally in a different discipline.
As his groom and long time closest ally Jaydon Lee led Constitution Hill away the mind went back to the same sight at Cheltenham three and a half years ago after that breathtaking display in the Champion Hurdle. “History,” I wrote for The Times, “is his for the taking.” Since then Constitution Hill has taken us on the most brilliant if at times most blood freezing of journeys. There should be no harm but much pleasure in seeing him galloping on.