Unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill faces a pivotal few days, with a decision over his Champion Hurdle defence likely to be taken next week following Tuesday's disappointing gallop at Kempton.
The Nicky Henderson-trained horse shocked onlookers with an underwhelming piece of work exactly two weeks out from the start of the Cheltenham Festival and was subsequently found to have a lung infection.
The seven-year-old is set to be scoped again on Friday and must then please connections in another gallop early next week in order to be given the green light to defend his crown.
"The timing could not possibly be worse," Henderson told Radio 4’s Today Programme on Wednesday morning. "We've found out what's wrong, but how quickly can we turn this round? That's the big question.
"He started on antibiotics straight away yesterday, they'll continue. He's on some particular honey we like to use to clear things up. Everything you can think of.
"We'll scope him again on Friday to see which way it's going. If he was alright after that he could have a gallop in the middle of next week, where he would have to be at his brilliant best. If he's not then we'd have to say we won't get there [to Cheltenham]."
Constitution Hill had been as short as 1-4 to record back-to-back Champions Hurdle victories, but in the wake of yesterday's news, leading bookmakers have cut last year's runner-up, the Willie Mullins-trained State Man, into favouritism.
