Nicky Henderson has revealed that Constitution Hill could step up in trip for the Aintree Hurdle at the Grand National Festival, a race he won in 2023.
Constitution Hill's season was geared around regaining his Champion Hurdle crown at the Cheltenham Festival but the star hurdler fell for the first time in his career.
That left connections with something of a dilemma and Punchestown was thought to be the most likely port of call where Constitution Hill would have faced a rematch with State Man and Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace among others.
However, Henderson revealed at Newbury on Saturday that connections are having a rethink.
“I’ve talked to Michael Buckley this morning as Constitution Hill is very well in himself," he said.
"He is ridiculously well so we are just having another look at that Aintree Hurdle.
“The Champion Hurdle was on the Tuesday and the Aintree Hurdle is on the Thursday, so it is three and half weeks between races, so we seriously think we need to be looking at it as it too good a prize not to.
“He hasn’t had a race as he was just tanking away when he fell and he cantered home on his own. He hasn’t had a hard race you could say, whereas you could say Jonbon had a harder race than he did. I don’t think we can let a race like this go slip sliding away.
“We know what the gap is between there and Punchestown and at the moment we would have every intention (of doing both races). It is a plan, an idea, but it is not cast in stone, because if anything changes our mind we must have the right to change our mind, but at the moment we would be very optimistic at saying we would look at both.
Constitution Hill could be joined at Aintree by Jonbon who is also pleasing the veteran handler.
Henderson added: “Jonbon looks ridiculously well and we know where we are going to go with him and he will go to Aintree for the two and a half mile race then hopefully, as we have done it before with him, he could then come back to the Celebration Chase as he does recover quickly."
'It's England, not Australia!'
“After the Christmas Hurdle we said we were going to probably go straight to the Champion Hurdle and we surprised everyone a bit by going for the International Hurdle, which was grand as he had a lovely easy time around there," Henderson continued.
"He didn’t have a hard race at Cheltenham for obvious reasons, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t come again. He is just taking everything so much better these days than he used to.
"He is older, but he is not getting any wiser as he has slipped in these mistakes. I hope everybody doesn’t start branding him a bad jumper just because he made one mistake and then had a fall. We have got some schooling to do in the meantime then we will have one good gallop at the end of next week. That will be the tell tale. Nico will be riding him, and if he is happy, then I think there is every chance he will go to Aintree.
“I think we are thinking about loose schooling him. It is just a bit different and it will help his concentration. I wouldn’t say it (two and a half miles) is his best trip. We are asking him to do it again and one must say it is on an easier track. It wasn’t his most impressive day at Aintree, but I think he was always tanking a little bit and I think Nico would probably like to quieten things down early on as much as he can do.
“You don’t want to ride him like a non-stayer, you have got to be positive. He did take it up a long way from home that day and he was just tanking away around and doing a little bit too much. We will try and conserve some energy this time.
“The ground will only be an issue if it gets quick. Aintree will be doing everything they can and I see they were putting on water this week. If the word good to firm in then of course we would be worried, but this is England not Australia so it will rain again!"
Meanwhile, Triumph Hurdle runner-up Lulamba could also go to Liverpool, but Arkle winner Jango Baie looks unlikely to head to the National meeting.
“The horse that has come out of Cheltenham best of them all is surprisingly Lulamba. We might have to consider him for something, having thought he would probably be doing nothing. He is a big four year old and you would love to be giving him time, but he will have to have a bit of work in a minute to keep him quiet.
“Jango Baie probably won’t go there. I was hoping Jingko Blue might go there, but we will have to see. Jango looks like he has been in a battle, but he was flat out the whole way.”
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