Constitution Hill on The Race Lab

The Champion Hurdle Nobody Wanted to Win: Constitution Hill's Exit Leaves Racing's Most Cursed Race Wide Open

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Michael Buckley called it “heartbreaking.” Ed Chamberlin called it “absolutely the right decision.” The numbers call it something else entirely: inevitable.

Constitution Hill’s official withdrawal from the 2026 Champion Hurdle — confirmed today, 13 days before the Festival — ends one of the most spectacular declines in Championship racing history. But here’s what makes this story truly extraordinary: he’s not the only star this race has broken.

Three Falls, One Flat Win, Zero Cheltenham

Let’s lay out Constitution Hill’s last five competitive runs over hurdles:

Constitution Hill Wins at Southwell: The Data Behind a Remarkable Reinvention

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

We wrote yesterday’s preview suggesting Constitution Hill’s Flat switch looked more like a desperate measure than an exhibition. We were wrong about the desperation part. Nothing about Friday night looked desperate.

Nine and a half lengths. Oisin Murphy sat motionless. The in-race comment from SmartForm reads like a horse operating in a different postcode to his rivals: “travelled strongly, midfield, smooth headway 2f out, soon ridden to lead, went clear approaching final furlong, stayed on well, impressive.”

Constitution Hill's Flat Debut: What the Numbers Say About Tonight's Southwell Novice

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

A horse rated 175 over hurdles, running in a novice stakes at Southwell on a Friday evening. If you’d pitched this storyline two years ago, you’d have been laughed out of the room.

Constitution Hill — twice Champion Hurdle winner, owner of a Cheltenham performance so devastating they called it the best since Istabraq — lines up tonight at 7:30 in a 12-runner novice on the Fibresand. He’s 11/4 second favourite behind the Kevin de Foy-trained Square Necker at 13/8.

Constitution Hill's Champion Hurdle Gamble: The Numbers Behind Henderson's Biggest Risk

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:15:00 +0000

The speculation has reached fever pitch. Will Constitution Hill line up in the Unibet Champion Hurdle? Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old superstar is pencilled in for a Flat race at Southwell on February 20 — a “glorified bumper” as Charlie Johnston described it — with the Cheltenham Festival potentially following three weeks later.

Ben Pauling, Henderson’s assistant, stoked the flames on Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday: “I would [run him in the Champion Hurdle]. He’s just so talented, and he’s got so much left to give.”