‘Frightening to watch’ – all systems go for Constitution Hill after Kempton gallop

Constitution Hill completely erased the memory of last year as he delighted Nicky Henderson in his pre-Cheltenham Festival gallop at Kempton Park on Tuesday.

The eight-year-old has an unblemished record under rules, winning each of his 10 hurdles starts with eight of those victories coming at the highest level.

However, he met with a setback during his warm-up gallop 12 months ago, when a lacklustre display revealed Henderson’s superstar was suffering from a respiratory infection which scuppered any hope of defending the Unibet Champion Hurdle crown he had won in sublime style in 2023.

A suspected bout of colic brought about an early end to his campaign in March before his gallops woes struck again prior to his anticipated seasonal bow in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

A laboured effort behind subsequently sidelined stablemate Sir Gino was followed by a short period of lameness that meant he did not hit the track until his triumphant return in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day.

He has since served a further reminder of his star qualities with victory at Cheltenham on Trials day and there was not a moment of drama in his mid-morning gallop at Kempton, with big-race pilot Nico de Boinville allowing him to pull clear of work partners That’s Nice and Aston Martini.

The horse’s owner Michael Buckley was also on hand and Henderson felt 12 months made all the difference.

He said: “Nico’s face, my face and Michael’s face will probably tell you it’s a different day. That’s him and it’s good to watch really isn’t it – it’s frightening to watch, actually.

“We’ve been so happy and you’ve just got to blank out last year. We knew before we actually came here last year that these horses weren’t flying and it was going to be harder to get through, whereas today everything has gone perfect.

“It was great that you’re (press) all here (to watch) and you can make your own minds up.