By Matt Hardy
Constitution Hill will head the 12-horse field in next Tuesday’s Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, it was confirmed yesterday.
The six-year-old, trained by Nicky Henderson, is seen as one of the best horses in jump racing at the moment and is red-hot favourite to win the opening day’s feature race in Gloucestershire next week.
The horse won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival last year by 22 lengths and has been in fine form ever since.
In the constitution
Set to be ridden by Nico de Boinville on Tuesday, Constitution Hill will be an overwhelming favourite with the bookies as the world famous Cheltenham Festival gets underway.
The best price currently available for the Michael Buckley-owned horse is one-to-three, with State Man – owned by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend – and Vauban – also owned by Mullins – making up the top three.
Those three are joined by nine others in the 12-horse field who have registered for the hurdle.
Henry De Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ I Like To Move It, Henderson’s Epatante and First Street, Mullins’ Sharjah, Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper and Zanahiyr, Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy and Philip Kirby’s 150-to-one outsider Jason The Militant make up the field.
Last year’s day one feature race was won by Jockey Rachael Blackmore atop Honeysuckle with Epatante second.
Tuesday’s action begins with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – where Constitution Hill made their name – before six further races including the Grade One’s Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Champion Hurdle and David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle. There’s just one Grade Three race.
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