Nicky Henderson has pledged that his star hurdler Constitution Hill will make the trip to Punchestown on Friday May 2.
It means that the fourth day of the five-day Festival will see a blockbuster clash of the last three Champion Hurdle winners in Golden Ace, State Man and Constitution Hill.
Constitution Hill crashed out at both Cheltenham and Aintree on his last two starts but Henderson says he’s in ‘terrific form’ and all going well will be in Punchestown in three weeks time.
He reports the Michael Buckley-owned gelding to be showing no ill effects from his fall in the Aintree Hurdle, which came hot on the heels of also coming a cropper in Cheltenham.
And a first visit to Punchestown for Friday's Boodles Champion Hurdle is very much on the cards.
“It is our intention to come to Punchestown,” says Henderson, who is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure at the festival.
“It was my original plan after Cheltenham and then, he was so well, I couldn’t say no to Aintree. Thankfully, I think he’s come out of that very well and we’ve got four weeks to Punchestown. It was only three weeks from Cheltenham to Aintree.
“And don’t forget, in neither race (at Cheltenham nor Aintree) has he actually had a race. He is very fresh at the moment. He’s as fresh as paint here. He’s in terrific shape.
“It’s a long way to go and I can’t tell you anything else at the moment but we think he’s in good nick and all being well, we will be in Punchestown. We are looking forward to going.
“It’s meant to be a great clash of two great horses – State Man and Constitution Hill – and they deserve to have a head-to-head. And we may have more if Lossiemouth, Golden Ace and Brighterdaysahead are there.
“I think everyone has been talking about State Man and Constitution Hill and want to find out what happens if they turn into the straight together. Wow! That’s what it’s all about. It would be fantastic. Everybody deserves it and we would love to have that in Punchestown.”
State Man would be attempting a three-in-a-row last achieved by another former Closutton inmate, the legendary Hurricane Fly in 2012. The Fly went on to make it four in 2013. State Man fell at the last when seeming certain to retain his crown at Cheltenham in March.
What can be certain is that should Constitution Hill prevail, he would receive a champion’s ovation, just as Sprinter Sacre received when defeating home favourite Sizing Europe in the William Hill Champion Chase in 2013.
It was a day that rubber-stamped the Seven Barrows maestro’s love affair with Punchestown and Ireland.
“The day we brought Sprinter over will be in my memory forever because of the reception that the Punchestown and Irish crowd gave him. And I mean that. He was a French-bred horse, trained in England and the reception was incredible, before and after the race. And it meant a lot to me.”
Golden Ace was the chief beneficiary at Cheltenham after the falls of Constitution Hill and State Man. Trainer Jeremy Scott admits that fortune shone on the talented mare owned by Ian Gosden and is looking forward to her getting perhaps more credit by performing well in a stacked field in the Boodles Champion Hurdle.
“She came out of Cheltenham very, very well,” Scott reveals. “I’m really happy with her and am looking forward to coming over. We have never managed to have a winner at Punchestown – we’ve had several seconds – and we love the whole experience. It’s really good fun.
“We were probably a very lucky winner of the Champion Hurdle, so in terms of pressure, I’m not sure we’re feeling a huge amount because we achieved more than we were expecting to this season anyway. So this Punchestown trip is a bonus, if she runs well, and I hope she will.
“Also, it took away from the win a bit the fact that Constitution Hill and State Man both fell. If we’d finished an honourable second to State Man, you’d have nearly felt better in many ways. I loved winning the race, of course, but I’m not sure we proved anything. So it would be nice to come out and prove that maybe, it wasn’t entirely luck.
“To be involved in a race of this nature, if everyone turns up, is a pleasure. That’s why we all train horses, isn’t it? Because we want to be able to compete at that level. I think that division is particularly strong at the moment as well, so it’s nice to be part of it.”
Also entered are State Man’s stablemate, the Aintree Hurdle and Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle victor Lossiemouth, and the Gordon Elliott-trained Brighterdaysahead, the 30-length winner of the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, when State Man failed to fire.
The Gigginstown House Stud-owned mare would be on a recovery mission having run well below par when fourth at Cheltenham last month.
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