THE TIMES
27th December 2024
All you can ask for is a day for remember. This Boxing Day at Kempton will put memory into overload. We watched a wondrous return for Champion Hurdler Constitution Hill, Banbridge’s win in the King George added another milestone to the extraordinary career of Joseph O’Brien, and all preceded by The Jukebox Man scoring for the National treasure that is Harry Redknapp.
The twelve months since Constitution Hill left pursuers bobbing like corks in his wake in this race last year have been filled with fully chronicled reports of ailments, injuries, hospitalization, unconvincing gallops to the point where even super genial owner Michael Buckley was forced into public exasperation. But way back in the 80’s trainer Nicky Henderson nursed the much more fragile and indeed borderline savage See You Then through three Champion Hurdles and a career of such rare appearances that we dubbed the horse “See You When”. Four decades on Henderson has only enhanced his skill set and when he and jockey Nico De Boinville declared that Constitution Hill’s last two pieces of work showed that the horse was back it was unwise to doubt him.
In the build up enough people considered the task of conceding 7 lbs to the star Irish mare Lossiemouth beyond him that Willie Mullins grey was ante post favourite. By the time Constitution Hill had swaggered round the paddock and then cantered serenely to the start memories of his unbeatable past had restored the faith and cramped back the odds. What happened next only confirmed it.
The Royal Ascot winning four year old Burdett Road led Constitution Hill at a gallop that produced a winning time a full 10 seconds faster than the Novice Hurdle at the end of the day and which saw Lossiemouth immediately uncomfortable at the back of the four runner field. But hard though Burdett Road pressed, he never looked like getting the favourite into trouble.
Once again we could marvel at the quicksilver jumping skill that has made Constitution Hill unforgettable and sometimes make you flinch with its early take off daring. Running to the turn you could see he had the legs of the leader but would he have the breath and the power of old when De Boinville tightened the reins and set him down to work?
The tension was terrible. When Constitution Hill ended his summer break he was a massive 600 kilos. He was still 20 kilos over his 540 racing weight when he worked disappointingly at Newbury last month. But then they levelled up for the second last and he took Burdett Road in the very image of 12 months ago. He was back but would he hold?
Coming to the last he had it won although Lossiemouth was closing. On the run in De Boinville had to drive hard to keep the mare away but victory was still a very decisive two and a half lengths at the line. Paul Townend was adamant that Lossiemouth was not at her best but to an outside eye the pace had her outside her comfort zone and anyway Constitution Hill is likely to improve massively with this under his belt.
“The great thing about him is that he is back” said Nicky Henderson confirming that the horse had plenty of improvement in him. “He’s back where he belongs. I do think he is nearly as good as he was.” This latest triumph with what is the first horse to ever win three Christmas Hurdles says even more about the trainer.
For 17 of the 18 fences in the King George VI Chase it felt as if the French horse Il Est Francais was also going to repeat a rival spattering performance on this day last year. That victory in the Kauto Star Novices Chase saw him as a future Gold Cup winner. Two total failures since have clouded his future but as he soared twenty lengths clear of his 10 rivals it looked as if the sun shined again.
He was still well in command turning for home with only Banbridge and Paul Townend coming out of the pack. Running to the last Il Est Francais was still in charge but the energy was ebbing. A good jump was needed and didn’t come. Banbridge has looked best over shorter distances but was now the stronger and was but the latest victory in the quite astonishing story that is Joseph O’Brien.
At just 31 he has already been twice Irish champion and won two Epsom Derbies as a jockey and in just 8 years as a trainer has won classics in England and Ireland, landed both the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup in Australia and has now won the King George VI on Boxing Day. Extraordinary, and as with his father Aidan, you want to hate him but seeing him tall, bespectacled and politely diffident, you just can’t.
At 74 Harry Redknapp is more than twice the O’Brien’s age and despite winning plenty of fame in 60 years of top level football has become even better known as an oracle of East End humour most notably winning the 2018 version of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. It has kept him in funds enough to run his racehorses and The Jukebox Man showed his best yet with a faultlessly impressive win in the Kauto Star Novices Chase that sets him up as a main British contender for the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Jukebox Man just failed to hold on in the Albert Barlette Novices Hurdle at the last Festival and looks even more effective over fences. “I was so nervous I was holding my breath” said Redknapp. “He’s a lovely horse, the best I’ve had and the dream is to go back to Cheltenham.” Banbridge and Constitution Hill will be there too but for them today was about dreams we won’t ever forget.