Constitution Hill, the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner, will not contest this year's race at Cheltenham on 10 March and has been ruled out of all future jumps races. The decision follows a schooling session at Nicky Henderson's yard on Wednesday, with the trainer citing three falls in the nine-year-old's last four starts.
In a statement on X, Henderson said he and owner Michael Buckley had concluded it would be "not fair to ask him and Nico [de Boinville] to do it again" over hurdles. He described last Friday's victory on the Flat at Southwell as a "magical occasion" and acknowledged the public's affection for the horse, while noting that a poll on how to proceed had been nearly 50/50.
Henderson added that Constitution Hill leaves the jumping world "sound, happy and ready for the next chapter". The gelding has been invited to parade at Cheltenham on Champion Hurdle day, a year after starting as odds-on favourite before a fall that marked the beginning of his jumping issues.
Plans for a Flat campaign could include the Melbourne Cup in November, suggested by Buckley, though the horse would need to meet strict veterinary and qualifying criteria. The Ebor Handicap at York in August, a "win-and-you're-in" for the Melbourne Cup subject to checks, and the Irish St Leger in early September have also been mooted.
With Constitution Hill absent, Dan Skelton's The New Lion is the narrow favourite for the Champion Hurdle at 5-2, ahead of Brighterdaysahead at 3-1 and Lossiemouth at 7-2.
