Owner Michael Buckley found a new star when Constitution Hill routed his Cheltenham Festival field.
The Nicky Henderson-trained thoroughbred put in a spectacular show to land the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Jockey Nico de Boinville always looked confident aboard the 9-4 joint favourite and was going much better than the winner's stablemate Jonbon on the turn for home.
Without being asked for maximum effort, Constitution Hill stretched clear by 22 lengths. Such was the manner of the victory, de Boinville had the luxury of taking it easy up the hill and he saluted the crowd. Punters threw papers in the delight at the result, as they returned to the event one year on from watching from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I didn’t really have a choice (to go for home when he did), he was travelling so well," De Boinville said. "They’ve gone a really hard gallop and he’s just picked the bridle up. I’m delighted for his owner Michael Buckley, he’ll be ecstatic. What a way to start the week, what a legend.”
Jonbon (5-1) took the runner-up spot and Kilcruit (6-1) was third – but there was only one horse in contention for the top spot. Owner Buckley has had many good horses over the years, however Constitution Hill blew racing fans away with the exhilarating performance.
After defeating a field full of previous winners, on ground much faster than his Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle win at Sandown, the five-year-old is now 3-1 with bookmakers Betfred for next year's Champion Hurdle. It was Buckley’s third Tolworth, after triumphs for New York Rainbow and Royal Boy carrying his black and while silks.
Finian’s Rainbow also took a Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham for him. But over the years, Buckley has overcome tragedy on the racecourse too. In 1989, he had a horse called The Proclamation, who Henderson thought could be the best he had trained.
That was some statement, given the six-time champion jumps trainer has now saddled 71 winners at The Festival. He is the most successful UK-based trainer of all-time at the four-day event. The Proclamation sadly was on the way to the top when he fell heavily in the Lightning Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
“It was a terrible time. Even now it feels painful," Buckley told Timeform earlier this year. "I rang Nicky on the way to the opera that night and he said, ‘he is fine,’ and he had got a vet who was going to look at him in the night. He rang me the next morning and said the horse couldn’t stand up.
“I had to go to Ascot that day to see another horse and I was driving past the Brompton Oratory and I stopped the car and I went in. I lit 30 candles and said, ‘I will really be a believer if you save this horse’s life’. “When I got to Ascot, he’d been put down. It is not good to dampen a really happy day with stories like that, but there are some pretty rough times as well.”
He added: “I remember getting a letter from Nicky the following week with all these tear stains on it. We have had a lot of tears together as well as some great times. When you have somebody like Nicky and he tells you that he thinks you have the next Desert Orchid, people who aren’t involved with horses, they don’t realise you get some brutal days.”
