Hill RULED OUT OF THE FESTIVAL
Henderson loses his race against time to get Champion Hurdler fit
NEXT WEEK’S Cheltenham Festival will go ahead without its headline act after superstar jumper Constitution Hill was ruled out of the fixture yesterday.
Trainer Nicky Henderson admitted defeat seven days after a lacklustre workout at Kempton by Constitution Hill and the discovery of mucus in his lungs first put the horse’s participation in jeopardy.
“He obviously cannot run in these Olympic games if he’s not trained sufficiently,” declared the trainer.
The reigning Champion Hurdler had been the hottest favourite of the meeting for nearly all of the last 12 months.
But he finished adrift of his work companions during a routine tune-up on Kempton’s all-weather Flat course and then returned a dirty scope.
A blood test on Thursday revealed “significant” inflammation and after that was repeated yesterday Henderson made the announcement many fans feared by pulling his stable star out of next Tuesday’s showpiece.
“Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year,” he said, breaking the news on the stable’s X account.
“i really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.
“Unfortunately the all-important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.” Constitution Hill has been replaced at the head of the Champion Hurdle market by last year’s runner-up State Man, who is 2-5 favourite with William Hill.
MARINE NATIONALE, last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner who was favourite for the Arkle, has also been ruled out of Cheltenham after being found lame yesterday.