Constitution Hill supplemented for Newbury's John Porter Stakes debut সম্ভ

Constitution Hill has been supplemented for Newbury’s John Porter Stakes, turning a promising Flat sideline into a genuine test against established middle-distance horses on turf. If Nicky Henderson sends him out on Saturday, 18 April, the Champion Hurdle star will step into the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes, a Group 3 over 1 mile 4 furlongs for horses aged four and older with £95,000 guaranteed prize money.

The move matters because this is no longer just a curiosity on the all-weather. Constitution Hill has already won twice on the Flat, first at Southwell on 20 February 2026 and then again at Kempton on 25 March 2026, performances that earned him an official Flat rating of 101 from the British Horseracing Authority. That figure gives the campaign real substance and suggests Henderson is treating the project as more than a one-off experiment.

Henderson has made clear the John Porter is his preferred next target, and he has also said the mile-and-a-half trip looks suitable. Oisin Murphy, who rode Constitution Hill at Southwell, has said he would welcome a reunion, adding another layer of intrigue to what is becoming one of the more unusual cross-code stories in recent memory. For a horse whose reputation was built at the top level over hurdles, even a single run in a race like this signals ambition and risk in equal measure.

The likely opposition raises the stakes further. Hamish, the William Haggas-trained multiple Group winner, won the John Porter in 2024 and has been discussed as a possible early-season target again if the ground is suitable. Racing TV and At The Races both pointed to the prospect of Constitution Hill meeting one of the most popular Flat horses in training, a clash that would test whether Henderson’s gelding can translate his class to a deeper, more traditional staying setup.

The John Porter has long been one of Newbury’s early-season middle-distance markers, and Constitution Hill’s possible inclusion gives it a different edge. If he runs well on turf, against a horse of Hamish’s calibre, the question will shift quickly from whether the campaign is worth trying to whether Constitution Hill belongs in a serious Flat programme at all.