Horse racing fans in the Midlands are set for a treat on February 20, with top-class hurdler Constitution Hill scheduled to run on the flat at Southwell.
Regular bettors on the Betpanda online site will be eager to wager on the horse as he takes an unconventional route to the 2026 Champion Hurdle.
A new £40,000 novice event over a mile and a half has been added to the all-weather card which is part of the innovative ‘Friday Night Live’ series.
Trainer Nicky Henderson has been eager to restore Constitution Hill’s confidence after the horse suffered his third fall in his last four outings at Newcastle in November.
Despite suffering another crashing exit from a race, the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner is rated as a 12/1 shot to regain his crown in March.
Henderson still plans to run the eight-year-old at the Cheltenham Festival and believes a tune-up race at Southwell will be the perfect preparation.
“We haven’t thought about a jockey yet, but I’m sure there are some good jockeys around who might like to ride him,” Henderson told the Press Association.
“It’s fantastic they’ve put the race on because we have been looking everywhere for a race for him. Obviously, he’s an eight-year-old, but this one is going to be for four-year-olds and upwards.
“For him there weren’t any races over far enough but this, over a mile and a half, is perfect so we’ll be there. The timing is excellent from our point of view and it’s a very good prize, so I imagine it will attract quite a lot of people.
“We had My Tent Or Yours run in a ‘jumpers’ bumper’ one year I remember and he nearly won the Champion that year, so it’s not totally unique (running on the flat and then Champion Hurdle).”
Havlin backs Henderson’s decision
While Henderson believes he is taking the right path with Constitution Hill, many respected pundits have questioned his decision to run the horse on the flat.
The switch to white markings on hurdles has been attributed to Constitution Hill’s jumping issues, and running him at Southwell will not prove whether the problem has been solved.
However, jockey Robert Havlin believes the switch to the flat could prove to be a shrewd move, although he is worried that the surface may not suit the horse.
“He always looks like a horse that has got a high cruising speed,” Havlin said. “There’s been plenty of horses drop back from jumping to flat racing successfully, Willie Mullins makes a good go of it doesn’t he?
“The only thing is sometimes Southwell can ride quick. The track can tighten up, so I don’t know if that would possibly be a problem to him.
“When I’ve watched him running, I shouldn’t think it would be. The way he travels through his races, he’s obviously been well touted as a horse with a high cruising speed so I shouldn’t think it would be too much of a bother unless he wants to run over five furlongs which might be a bit of a problem!
“Southwell’s quite a fair track – you can ride a real waiting race and you can also make the running and get away with it.
“Everybody says every track’s got a specific bias to front runners or hold-up horses, but I think Southwell covers all bases really.
“The dimensions of the track really can let you cover all bases, so I always think it’s a great course to drop a horse in and ride a patient race on.”
This is a submitted article written by Michael Cage.
