The British jumps season drew to a dramatic close on Saturday, the first Classics of 2025 will be run this weekend and yet there will still be time to squeeze in a final moment of drama over jumps on Friday evening when Constitution Hill is due to burst through the doors of the last-chance saloon in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown’s festival meeting.
He will do so with two F’s against his name, having crashed out when odds-on for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and then fallen again, as an uneasy even-money shot, in the Aintree Hurdle at the Grand National meeting three weeks ago. There is still enough of a glow of a freakish, otherworldly talent about him, however, to make his date in County Kildare a moment no jumping fan will want to miss.
If nothing else, the simple fact Constitution Hill is travelling to Punchestown is an impressive riposte to those who claim Nicky Henderson wraps his stable star in too much cotton wool. Henderson and Michael Buckley, Constitution Hill’s owner, have already turned away from several obvious opportunities to put him away for the summer, with the most recent being the enforced absence of Nico de Boinville, his regular jockey, due to injury.
There has been very little umming and ahhing. Hendersonsounds very much as though he is looking forward to Friday’s race, when there could be a rare meeting between the past three winners of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham: Constitution Hill, State Man and, most recently, Golden Ace, who picked up the pieces when State Man fell with the race apparently at his mercy.
There was a little added spice, too, when Henderson revealed on Sunday that Constitution Hill had completed his prep for Punchestown with a schooling session over four fences. On closer inspection, the fences were more akin to French-style hurdles – and the trainer was quick to dismiss any speculation Constitution Hill might move up to the bigger obstacles next season – but Henderson is clearly willing to try anything to ensure his hurdler treats the obstacles with a little more respect this week.
Constitution Hill will join many of the season’s big names in having his final run of the season at Punchestown. Henderson has more than a dozen entries for the five-day meeting including the top juvenile, Lulamba, in Saturday’s Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle.
After a domestic season when Willie Mullins retained the British title and Constitution Hill, Lulamba and another big hope, Jonbon, were all beaten at Cheltenham, it is an impressive show of intent from Henderson, who frequently sent double-figure teams to Punchestown 10 or 15 years ago, but has had one winner, from 13 runners, over the past four meetings.
Redcar 1.45 Zappata 2.15 Mystical Storm 2.50 Lothlorien 3.25 Ginormous 4.00 Sergeant Mayer 4.35 Lord Protector 5.10 Kimeko Glory (nb)
Yarmouth 2.05 Rock Armour 2.40 What A Nation 3.15 Verse Of Love 3.50 Spy Kingdom 4.25 Mr Swivell (nap) 5.00 Arabian Leopard 5.35 Triple Double A
Southwell 2.25 Destinado 3.00 Kipp Kelly 3.35 Lokma 4.10 Jack Daniel 4.45 Reginald Charles 5.20 Charlie Mason
Chelmsford 5.45 Beauld As Brass 6.15 Kurakka 6.45 Drouthy Neebor 7.15 Lady With The Lamp 7.45 Monsieur Beaulieu 8.15 Noble Consort 8.45 Aim For The Bull
Ayr 5.50 Dan Tucker 6.25 Ski Angel 7.00 Clasina 7.30 Penelope’s Sister 8.00 Hostelry 8.30Cascade Hall
Just two of his runners are in Grade One races, however, and it is a case of Mullins v The Rest in most of the top-level events, including the feature events on Tuesday and Wednesday. Kopek Des Bordes, the Supreme Novice Hurdle winner, will be odds-on for the Grade One novice on Tuesday’s card, while Fact To File, the Ryanair Chase winner, is odds-on for the evening’s feature event, the Champion Chase over two miles, despite a significant drop in trip to take on Marine Nationale, the two-mile champion at Cheltenham, over his ideal distance.
Wednesday’s card offers Galopin Des Champs, who came up one place short in his attempt to complete a Gold Cup hat-trick at Cheltenham, a third chance to win Punchestown’s Gold Cup after odds-on defeats in the past two seasons. He is a shade of odds-against this time around, however, with Spillane’s Tower, who beat Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown this season, and Banbridge, the King George VI Chase winner, close behind in the market.
Newmarket 1.10 Zgharta 1.45 Aurel 2.20 Cosmic Year 2.55 Best Raate 3.30 Fifty Nifty 4.05 Ambiente Friendly 4.45 Circe
Goodwood 1.25 Guernsey Lady 2.00 Amiloc (nap) 2.35 Holkham Bay (nb) 3.10 Panthera 3.45 Spring Bloom 4.25 Masterinthewoods 5.00 One Cool Dreamer
Musselburgh 1.35 Meelaf 2.10 Curious Rover 2.45 Trojan Sun 3.20 Keep Me Stable 3.55 Capital Guarantee 4.30 Two B Tanned 5.05 Luna A Inbhir Nis
Cheltenham 4.35 Barton Snow 5.10 Mumbo Jumbo 5.45 Fairly Famous 6.20 Gracchus De Balme 6.55 Latenightfumble 7.30 Jeffery’s Cross 8.05 Rebel Dawn Rising
Newcastle 5.37 Marioento 6.13 Cajole 6.48 National Park 7.20 Mr Mistoffelees 7.55 Too Much 8.30 Pop Favourite 9.00 Poet
So many of the best jumping horses are now stabled in Ireland that Punchestown is as much of a pointer towards next year’s Cheltenham festival as the four-month winter campaign in Britain. The week’s bumper winners are likely to be top-rated runners over hurdles next season and the Grade One novices over hurdles and fences will be leading contenders for the open Grade Ones.
But the star of the show could yet be the horse from Lambourn with a huge reputation to redeem and whatever else you might have planned for Friday, 6.40pm will be the moment to tune in to Punchestown.
