Constitution Hill will not line up in the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York on August 22 after trainer Nicky Henderson ruled out the quick turnaround needed to meet entry conditions. The 2023 Champion Hurdle winner, who impressed on the all-weather circuit in his first two Flat outings, required one more run after an early-summer break to satisfy the entry requirements for the £500,000 handicap.
Decision Made After Owner Consultation
Henderson had indicated last week that scheduling the necessary run could be problematic. Although he initially entered Constitution Hill for the Ebor on Tuesday, the horse's name was absent from final declarations after the 12pm deadline. Henderson said: "He's 100 per cent fine and we did put him in but then I just wanted to talk to Michael (Buckley, owner) as we were always unsure we would do that as we never really had the time to get the third run into him."
He added: "He would be ready for the Ebor but he would not be ready to have a race before the Ebor that he needed. It was always going to be touch and go, but he's in good shape."
Remaining Entry and Future Options
With the Ebor now ruled out, Constitution Hill's sole remaining entry is in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh on September 13. However, nothing has been confirmed definitively as Henderson continues to weigh up all potential options for the nine-year-old's next appearance.
"He's still going to be ready to run around about then and if he was eligible to run in the Ebor (August 22) he would run in the Ebor," Henderson continued. "But we had to take a break and there was no point him having a quick nap, he needed some proper time out which any horse does. He only had a month, but there was no point just having a week off and calling that his holiday."
Henderson concluded: "There are quite a lot of options and it's just a case of where we pitch ourselves when we consider the ground and weather and everything else."
