Henderson Rates Constitution Hill Champion Hurdle Chances 50-50 Ahead Of Schooling

Nicky Henderson told reporters at Kempton Park that whether Constitution Hill runs in the Unibet Champion Hurdle is “50:50” and that he and owner Michael Buckley would decide at the weekend after a schooling session over timber on Wednesday. Henderson called the dilemma “the biggest headache” of his life and said “absolutely everybody has an opinion,” adding that “the postbox is rammed full.”

That uncertainty followed Constitution Hill’s Flat debut at Southwell on Friday 20 February 2026, when Oisin Murphy rode the 6/4 favourite in the SBK Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes over 1½ miles on Tapeta. Drawn in stall 12, the gelding hit the lead well before the finish and won by nine-and-a-half lengths; Sporting Life and Paulick Report described the display as “majestic” and that he “sailed across the line unchallenged.” Henderson told ITV4 after the race that “I think he’s enjoyed himself… Oisin said that he has a career here,” and he admitted the outing “would ‘open a lot of doors’” for the horse.

Henderson set the timetable publicly: a schooling over timber on Wednesday, then a discussion with Buckley leading to a weekend decision. He repeated the 50:50 line to press and quipped about missed opportunities on the Flat: “The one thing he did do the other night was that he must have opened himself up to some sort of Flat career. Why didn’t the idiotic trainer realise this five years ago? Then it would be simple, wouldn’t it?” RTE reported that Henderson was tearful about the reaction at Southwell, calling the publicity “staggering” and “one of the most extraordinary nights we will experience.”

Bookmakers reacted to the Southwell performance. Sporting Life reported Constitution Hill was favourite with Paddy Power and Sky Bet for the Unibet Champion Hurdle and printed a non-runner/no-bet snapshot listing Constitution Hill 9/4 alongside The New Lion, Brighterdaysahead, Lossiemouth and others in the market. With Constitution Hill tentatively absent, The Guardian noted Willie Mullins’s State Man, the Irish Champion Hurdle winner at Leopardstown in early February, is now certain to start as the odds-on favourite for the Champion Hurdle.

The debate over Constitution Hill’s immediate future was sharpened by health checks. The Guardian published Henderson’s X statement on Monday saying the horse had “undoubtedly improved over the weekend,” but “an all-important blood test shows that although the figures have improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.” Henderson called the subsequent decision “very sad for all of us and particularly Michael [Buckley]” but insisted withdrawing would leave the seven-year-old or nine-year-old, sources conflict on age, fit to target a return next season.

Beyond Cheltenham, Racing Victoria has reportedly expressed interest in Constitution Hill as a potential Melbourne Cup attraction, and Paulick Report suggested the Southwell run “halted a 10-race victory streak,” while The Guardian described his record as eight straight wins in different copy. Those discrepancies underline the outstanding verification points: exact age, official win streak length, and full veterinary details of the blood test that Henderson cited as decisive.