Sporting Life
Its all so easy for Constitution Hill
How good would it be if Constitution Hill ran in a Betfair Hurdle?

Simon Holt looks back on the Betfair Hurdle's glory years and wonders if they can be reclaimed

By Simon Holt
20:17 · THU February 08, 2024

Simon Holt remembers the Betfair Hurdle glory years and wonders if some of the other races on the card could do with being turned into handicaps.

Rooster headlines valiant efforts in defeat

While true enough to say that finishing second is to be the first of the losers, Saturday's Betfair Hurdle at Newbury has featured some quite glorious failures after which reputations were strongly enhanced.

In 2000, the hugely popular grey Rooster Booster may have produced the performance of his career when failing narrowly to peg back the more than useful Geos (who won the race again in 2004) off a mark of 166, and under 11st12lb, before filling the same runner-up position at all three of the spring festivals.

Such a campaign would be unheard of now, especially as the Rooster went to Newbury as the reigning Champion Hurdler, and the similarly narrow defeats of Oh So Risky and Ekbalco hark back to a very different era in jumps racing.

Carrying 12 stone, Oh So Risky went under by a short head to the smart Large Action (receiving 20lb) in 1994 with Flakey Dove, who would turn the tables on both of them in the Champion Hurdle a month later, back in third.

He was a tremendously versatile horse, winning the Triumph Hurdle, as well as finishing second in two Champion Hurdles and an Ebor in a 56-race career.

But, for those of us who go back a bit, the effort of Ekbalco in 1982 will always remain memorable.

The Roger Fisher-trained gelding was a top class hurdler and, in a 27 runner field, came from near-last place with a perfectly timed run under jockey David Goulding only to be headed in the closing stages by a power packed rally from Donegal Prince and John Francome near the stands rail.

Ekbalco, a fine stamp with an exceptional turn of foot, was right up there with the best during a sustained period of high quality hurdlers, and it was a magnificent effort to go so close conceding 13lb to the smart winner.

The horse could easily have been sparingly confined to conditions races as the best hurdlers are today, yet he ran eight times in three consecutive seasons and, while found out by the Cheltenham hill in two Champion Hurdle attempts, he won the Christmas Hurdle, the Bula (now the Unibet International), the Fighting Fifth, the Imperial Cup and two Welsh Champion Hurdles.

Tragically, when still a seven-year-old, Ekbalco broke his shoulder in a fall at the second last flight when taking on Gaye Brief in the 1985 Fighting Fifth after which his distraught jockey Jonjo O'Neill returned to the Newcastle weighing room in tears.

Would Hill have the Constitution for the task?

As the above efforts illustrate, there is no shame in getting beaten and the Betfair Hurdle is a race in which a top horse's mettle can be properly tested.

It would be nice to think that, if he wins a second Champion Hurdle, the race might be considered for Constitution Hill next season as it falls ideally between the Christmas Hurdle and Cheltenham and is just a short motorcade ride down the road from Nicky Henderson's Seven Barrows yard.

On Saturday, Luccia is set to carry 12 stone top weight off 140 in a very average-looking renewal, so all of the 175-rated champ's rivals would have been out of the handicap. Yet he wasn't even entered.

With five wins (Sharpical, Geos, Landing Light, Geos again and My Tent Or Yours), Henderson has a fine record in the race that used to be sponsored by Schweppes and then the Tote with Luccia bidding to follow-up her win at Ascot before Christmas when she seemed to enjoy being on the pace and jumped slickly.

Under Control and Doddiethegreat also have chances for the Henderson team.

Trainer Gary Moore has a strong Betfair Hurdle record

Sussex trainer Gary Moore, a dab hand with hurdlers, has won the Betfair three times (Heathcote, Wingman, Violet Dancer) and could be represented by Spirit D'Aunou and possibly Yorksea, if he consents to run this time.

Hansard didn't scope cleanly a few weeks ago and was taken out at the final declaration stage, but Spirit D'Aunou has been targeted at the race.

The winner of five of his seven starts for loyal stable supporters Heart Of The South Racing, he has gone up 10lb for winning at Sandown in December and, since then, all roads have been leading to Newbury.

Moore also runs Yorksea who has refused to race in two racecourse visits this season, but a switch of work rider seems to have made the horse a bit sweeter and, if jumping off, his trainer thinks he could run a big race.

Mullins again?

The elephant in the room is the Willie Mullins-trained Ocastle Des Mottes who won at Auteuil in June for Gabriel Leenders.

Not even the handicapper will know if he's got this horse on the right mark until a little after 3.15 on Saturday afternoon while Mullins, who hasn't had a Grade One winner for fully three days now, also entered the Ascot sixth Onlyamatteroftime, owned by Paul Byrne, but with a maximum field of 24 declared he finds himself as the reserve.

Of course, it's far from a one race card on Betfair Super Saturday with Boothill likely to start favourite for the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase and Shishkin odds-on to beat Protektorat in the Betfair Denman Chase.

But these Grade Two events attracted just 11 declarations between them at the five-day stage and would surely become more competitive in the future if they became limited handicaps.

Denman will be forever associated with Newbury for his unforgettable weight-carrying wins in the Hennessy, and it can be argued that those handicap performances garnered at least equal public respect compared to his Cheltenham Festival exploits.

So too Rooster Booster, Oh So Risky and Ekbalco.

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