Latest news with #ConstitutionHill
Powys County Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Constitution Hill removed from Gold Cup reckoning
There will be no Gold Cup bid at Royal Ascot for Constitution Hill after he was scratched from the race on Friday. Nicky Henderson teased the exciting prospect of his hurdling star switching codes when handing the eight-year-old an entry for the Group One staying showpiece. However, after a disappointing spring, which has included falls at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree, he will now head for a summer break after a lacklustre performance at the Punchestown Festival. Speaking at Newbury, Henderson told Sky Sports Racing: 'He's good and he's actually been having various tests throughout the week. He had a body and bone scan which actually told us very little and there is nothing chronically bad about it at all at the moment. 'We did actually take him out of the Gold Cup at Ascot this morning and he will very shortly be going to Charlie Vigors (of Hillwood Stud) for his summer holiday. I think some R and R is the best thing for him.' Constitution Hill may have left Seven Barrows for the summer, but Sir Gino is still under the watchful eye of his handler as he continues to recover from the leg injury which became infected and left him in hospital. Henderson continued: 'He's good and he's still at Seven Barrows. Gradually we are getting there and he's walking further and further. Hopefully we'll get him out in a field before too long.'
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Nicky Henderson pulls Constitution Hill from £650,000 race after trainer admitted ‘something has gone wrong'
Where does the former king go from here? HAUNTED HILL Nicky Henderson pulls Constitution Hill from £650,000 race after trainer admitted 'something has gone wrong' NICKY HENDERSON has pulled Constitution Hill out of a £650,000 race - after admitting 'something has gone wrong' following his disastrous end to the season. The former Supreme and Champion Hurdle superstar fell at Cheltenham and Aintree. Advertisement 1 Constitution Hill looked destined to be the greatest hurdler ever but he is now on the mother of all recovery missions after a dreadful end to the season Credit: PA And he was humbled by old rival State Man in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown earlier this month. A Christmas Hurdle win over Lossiemouth - when Willie Mullins' mare ran well below par - was the only bright spot in an otherwise horrific season. And the blows kept on coming as Henderson officially scratched Constitution Hill from next month's Ascot Gold Cup. When the Michael Buckley-owned eight-year-old was winning everything there was talk he could at least try his luck on the Flat. Advertisement The mega-money Melbourne Cup had been suggested, as well as the 2m4f Group 1 contest at Royal Ascot. But the latter is definitely off the agenda now after Henderson took him out 11 days before the official deadline. Based on what we know from his hurdle runs, 2m4f at Ascot, with the stiff finish, would probably have been too far for Constitution Hill. And jumping form doesn't necessarilly translate to the Flat, especially when he would have been taking on the likes of Aidan O'Brien's borderline unbeatable Kyprios. Advertisement It would have been interesting to see Constitution Hill line up at Ascot. But it was always a long shot - bookies had him priced at 33-1 - and really it looks like the right decision has been made. Henderson was left scratching his head after his former superstar appeared to lose all confidence at his hurdles. His two falls were shockers but he was the opposite at Punchestown, ballooning his obstacles where previously he looked slick. Advertisement Hendo said after that defeat, where he finished in fifth of six and 27 lengths behind State Man: "It's disappointing but it's a tough game. "It was sad Constitution Hill had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. "Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery." FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Advertisement Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Nicky Henderson pulls Constitution Hill from £650,000 race after trainer admitted ‘something has gone wrong'
NICKY HENDERSON has pulled Constitution Hill out of a £650,000 race - after he admitted 'something has gone wrong' following his disastrous end to the season. The former Supreme and Champion Hurdle superstar fell at Cheltenham and Aintree. 1 And he was humbled by old rival State Man in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown earlier this month. A Christmas Hurdle win over Lossiemouth - when Willie Mullins' mare ran well below par - was the only bright spot in an otherwise horrific season. And the blows kept on coming as Henderson officially scratched Constitution Hill from next month's Ascot Gold Cup. When the Michael Buckley-owned eight-year-old was winning everything there was talk he could at least try his luck on the Flat. The mega-money Melbourne Cup had been suggested, as well as the 2m4f Group 1 contest at Royal Ascot. But the latter is definitely off the agenda now after Henderson took him out 11 days before the official deadline. Based on what we know from his hurdle runs, 2m4f at Ascot, with the stiff finish, would probably have been too far for Constitution Hill. And jumping form doesn't necessarilly translate to the Flat, especially when he would have been taking on the likes of Aidan O'Brien's borderline unbeatable Kyprios. It would have been interesting to see Constitution Hill line up at Ascot. But it was always a long shot - bookies had him priced at 33-1 - and really it looks like the right decision has been made. Henderson was left scratching his head after his former superstar appeared to lose all confidence at his hurdles. His two falls were shockers but he was the opposite at Punchestown, ballooning his obstacles where previously he looked slick. Hendo said after that defeat, where he finished in fifth of six and 27 lengths behind State Man: "It's disappointing but it's a tough game. "It was sad Constitution Hill had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. "Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery." . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Nicky Henderson pulls Constitution Hill from £650,000 race after trainer admitted ‘something has gone wrong'
NICKY HENDERSON has pulled Constitution Hill out of a £650,000 race - after admitting 'something has gone wrong' following his disastrous end to the season. The former Supreme and Champion Hurdle superstar fell at Cheltenham and Aintree. 1 Constitution Hill looked destined to be the greatest hurdler ever but he is now on the mother of all recovery missions after a dreadful end to the season Credit: PA And he was humbled by old rival State Man in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown earlier this month. A Christmas Hurdle win over Lossiemouth - when Willie Mullins' mare ran well below par - was the only bright spot in an otherwise horrific season. And the blows kept on coming as Henderson officially scratched Constitution Hill from next month's Ascot Gold Cup. When the Michael Buckley-owned eight-year-old was winning everything there was talk he could at least try his luck on the Flat. The mega-money Melbourne Cup had been suggested, as well as the 2m4f Group 1 contest at Royal Ascot. But the latter is definitely off the agenda now after Henderson took him out 11 days before the official deadline. Based on what we know from his hurdle runs, 2m4f at Ascot, with the stiff finish, would probably have been too far for Constitution Hill. And jumping form doesn't necessarilly translate to the Flat, especially when he would have been taking on the likes of Aidan O'Brien's borderline unbeatable Kyprios. Most read in Horse Racing It would have been interesting to see Constitution Hill line up at Ascot. But it was always a long shot - bookies had him priced at 33-1 - and really it looks like the right decision has been made. Henderson was left scratching his head after his former superstar appeared to lose all confidence at his hurdles. His two falls were shockers but he was the opposite at Punchestown, ballooning his obstacles where previously he looked slick. Hendo said after that defeat, where he finished in fifth of six and 27 lengths behind State Man: "It's disappointing but it's a tough game. "It was sad Constitution Hill had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. "Something has obviously gone wrong because that's not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery." FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read more on the Irish Sun Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
RTÉ News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Nicky Henderson dismisses talk of Constitution Hill retiring
Nicky Henderson has ruled out any thoughts of retiring Constitution Hill following a series of setbacks in recent months. Having kicked off his campaign with a couple of victories, the eight-year-old fell at Cheltenham and Aintree before finishing a distant fifth behind State Man at Punchestown on Friday. That run of results prompted speculation that connections could opt to cut short the former Champion Hurdle winner's career, but Henderson said: "I can say next season does happen, anything otherwise is out of the question." The Seven Barrows handler is hoping a summer break will allow Constitution Hill to regroup and shrug off any mental scars incurred from such a miserable spring. Speaking on Racing TV's Luck on Sunday programme, Henderson said: "The one thing you can't do is read a horse's mind! We think we can, but we can't - and what he's thinking is not what I was thinking at the time. "For all the advice I've had since Aintree, since even Friday, there are a million different opinions of what we should and shouldn't be doing. "Now, if I put them all into operation the confusion would be horrendous, so I think we'll stick to our own plan and that'll be turn him out and hope that he can just literally mentally forget it. "They do remember, of course they do, but there's not much else you can do. Horse psychiatrists, whisperers, they do exist, and we'll do everything, but it's just not that easy. "I think just a really quiet piece of time and go back to Charlie Vigors, where he's spent all his summers, ever since he came here, he'll be happy there and we've just got to try to get him to relax, which is what he's good at." However, when reflecting on Constitution Hill's most recent reversal, Henderson did admit to believing his charge was still feeling the effects of his two previous tumbles. Henderson added: "The conclusion at the end of the day is that there was one tell-tale moment, it was when he was at the start and he just turned his head as if he was saying 'I don't want to do this'. "That is the most unlike Constitution Hill moment I've ever seen. It's just so unlike him, he wouldn't turn his head from anything, he would answer anything and never let you down. "He'd had two crunching falls, the Liverpool fall was horrible. We had schooled and he's done everything right. He was a bit sorry for a week after Aintree but then he brightened up and bounced out and we said 'OK, if you want to go, you want to go' and he did. "But that moment at the start told me everything, just because it is so unlike him. "He's the most willing, level-headed horse you could find, with a willing temperament, but I'm afraid we've probably just emptied that little part of him and that is what his thought was then, it was just so out of character."
