BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Grade 1, Newcastle 14:00
£115,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus,
1m 7f 216y, Class 1  
Saturday 29th November 2025

FormRatings

The New Lion, Constitution Hill and Anzadam headline a classy dozen entered.

Dan Skelton’s The New Lion sits atop the ante-post markets for the Champion Hurdle after a novice campaign that grew more authoritative with every run. Snapped up by JP McManus following his Challow Hurdle win, he stayed unbeaten with a gritty effort in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, though he hasn’t been seen at the minimum trip since April 2024.

Constitution Hill, meanwhile, returns with a rather different storyline. When he won this race in 2022, he looked to have the division at his mercy. His first season out of novice company confirmed the impression. But he missed the 2023 renewal—moved to Sandown after Newcastle froze—and didn’t race again that campaign after scoping dirty post-Kempton. Last season began well enough with two victories, but the spring unravelled with falls at Cheltenham and Aintree and a flat run at Punchestown. He comes back needing to reassert old truths.

Nicky Henderson has also put in Lulamba for Jim and Marie Donnelly, despite earlier plans to send him novice chasing—echoes of the switch made with Sir Gino, who filled the breach when Constitution Hill was absent last year.

The Donnellys also have Willie Mullins’ lightly raced but highly promising Anzadam in the mix.

The five-year-old, who missed the spring festivals after a setback at Naas, is now back to full health — and his trainer sounds quietly bullish that a clear run might see him step straight into open Grade One company.

“Anzadam looks to have enough potential to go down the Champion Hurdle route,” said Mullins. “There’s been little bits of bother with him but this year everything has been good. He has the ability but sometimes his training schedule gets interrupted.”

There’s a touch of the master planner about this one — not least as State Man, his fellow Joe and Marie Donnelly-owned stablemate, is already earmarked for the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown. Keeping the pair apart is as much diplomacy as design.

“If I can get a clear run into him, I think we’re looking at going for the Fighting Fifth with him. Like State Man he’s owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly and there seems little point in both of them going for the Morgiana.

It’s more to keep an owners’ horses apart than looking at the (British) championship, but obviously that’s no harm either.”

Golden Ace from Jeremy Scott’s yard, has her own point to prove after a subdued reappearance at Wetherby.

Burdett Road, Celtic Dino, Colonel Mustard, Give It To Me Oj, Kargese, Kateira and Zanndabad round out a field that offers depth, intrigue and a fair few questions waiting to be answered.

BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle
£115,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 216y, Class 1
12 entries
Going:

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 11/11- Anzadam 5 11-10 W P Mullins
2 1322-2 Burdett Road 5 11-10 James Owen
3 1433-1 Celtic Dino 6 11-10 Sam Thomas
4 254-51 Colonel Mustard 10 11-10 Mrs Lorna Fowler
5 11FF-5 Constitution Hill 8 11-10 Nicky Henderson
6 1411-1 Give It To Me Oj 4 11-10 Gary & Josh Moore
7 112-1 Lulamba 4 11-10 Nicky Henderson
8 /1111- The New Lion 6 11-10 Dan Skelton
9 /26-21 Zanndabad 6 11-10 A J Martin
10 311-22 Golden Ace 7 11-3 Jeremy Scott
11 /121-3 Kargese 5 11-3 W P Mullins
12 3152-1 Kateira 8 11-3 Dan Skelton