BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Newcastle 14:45 £115,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 216y, Class 1  |
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Constitution Hill gave jockey Nico de Boinville reason to be satisfied following a workout at Newbury on Tuesday November 19.
❌ CONSTITUTION HILL. He needs no introduction and his issues were well documented last season.
— Road To Cheltenham (@RoadCheltenham) August 9, 2024
Last seen winning the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park - he is the one they all have to beat in the Champion Hurdle division if back to his best.pic.twitter.com/NLvESHKdy3
The last public appearance of Nicky Henderson's star hurdler was at Kempton Park in February, where it was revealed he had an infection that ruled him out of defending his Champion Hurdle title. Constitution Hill only ran once last season, winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, after Henderson decided not to run him in the rescheduled Fighting Fifth at Sandown due to testing ground conditions.
De Boinville, who rode Constitution Hill in the Newbury workout where he finished behind Sir Gino, told Sky Sports Racing, "He felt great until about two furlongs out, then he had a really good blow. He looked like he had a solid piece of work. It's soft ground, and he needed it a bit, but that will bring him on. Turning into the straight, he really locked on, and I had to remind him we had four furlongs to go. All the ability is there; it's about getting him up to full fitness. Today will bring him on a lot; we have one more piece of work to go, he’ll probably school this week, and then we’ll be ready."
When asked if he felt like a different horse compared to the Kempton gallop, De Boinville responded, "Absolutely. At Kempton, I was struggling going into the back straight and could have pulled him up, but today was great. Sir Gino is a very good horse himself."
BetMGM, sponsors of the Fighting Fifth, pushed Constitution Hill's odds out to 5-6 from 4-6. UK Director Sam Behar commented, "The last time we saw Constitution Hill gallop, it raised concerns, and today’s outing at Newbury perhaps wasn’t as promising as hoped. Stablemate Sir Gino seemed to work better, so we’ve adjusted Constitution Hill’s odds for next Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle."
The race at Newcastle will be a true test of Constitution Hill's fitness and form as he aims to return to his winning ways.
BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle
£115,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 216y, Class 1
18 entries
Going:
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 000-P4 Benson 9 11-10 Sandy Thomson
2 211-22 Brentford Hope 7 11-10 Harry Derham
3 525-32 Colonel Mustard 9 11-10 Mrs Lorna Fowler
4 111/1- Constitution Hill 7 11-10 Nicky Henderson
5 2121-2 Horn Cape 7 11-10 Ben Haslam
6 4/1-22 Kihavah 7 11-10 Adrian Paul Keatley
7 90132- Langer Dan 8 11-10 Dan Skelton
8 1215-1 Lump Sum 6 11-10 Sam Thomas
9 1121-1 Mystical Power 5 11-10 W P Mullins
10 52167- Nemean Lion 7 11-10 Kerry Lee
11 134-31 Nurburgring 4 11-10 Joseph O'Brien
12 11113- Salver 4 11-10 Gary & Josh Moore
13 1/111- Sir Gino 4 11-10 Nicky Henderson
14 21P10- Tellherthename 5 11-10 1 Jonjo & A J O'Neill
15 24-111 Valgrand 5 11-10 Dan Skelton
16 1121-1 Brighterdaysahead 5 11-3 Gordon Elliott
17 /1111- Golden Ace 6 11-3 Jeremy Scott
18 1-1431 Take No Chances 6 11-3 Dan Skelton
