‘It would have been the end of me if he got hurt’ – Nicky Henderson reflects on decision to keep Constitution Hill on the Flat
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Nicky Henderson believes the risk of sending Constitution Hill back over hurdles was “too high” and that his 48-year training career could have come to an end had anything bad happened to his 2023 Champion Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival.
The six-time champion trainer made a decision he described as being one of the hardest he has ever had to make on Wednesday when, along with Michael Buckley, he announced the nine-year-old’s jumping career had come to an end after his winning Flat debut at Southwell.
Speaking at Newbury on Friday, Henderson explained that the “consequences were unthinkable” and he would have been held accountable had Constitution Hill suffered the fourth fall of his career in the Unibet Champion Hurdle on March 10.
The trainer said: “We knew what the risk factor was. It was too high, and the consequences were unthinkable. That’s what it kept coming down to. One minute, he goes to Southwell, and he’s done the most spectacular job for British racing. Then you realise what damage you could do if you went the other way and it went wrong. I’d say I would’ve packed up. It would have been the end of me if he got hurt, without a doubt.”
Henderson has been inundated with letters from members of the public, and even lawyers, regarding what he should have done with Constitution Hill.
He said: “You want to see the letters we got from lawyers saying we’d be sued, but don’t think I’m taking any notice, they went straight in the bin. They were literally threatening legal action. We were not running scared of public opinion.
“Lots of times, I thought we wanted to go on hurdling, but we knew what we had to do, and we knew where we were. Michael came down, and we all had a good chat, and most people seem to think it was the right thing to do.”
Constitution Hill: made a remarkable winning debut on the FlatCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Henderson has not yet mapped out a plan for the remainder of 2026 but has been inundated with offers from all around the globe to host Constitution Hill.
“I’ve got so many offers,” the trainer said. “Every racecourse I’ve ever heard of has got a race for him, in every country you can think of. He’s going to have to get a very fat passport if he’s going to go to all the countries that want us to.
“A lot of people said the John Porter at Newbury [on April 18] would be a nice race for him, and I’d agree. It’s down the road and will be nice ground. Those are the sort of races you’d look at and see where he takes us.
“It’s wonderful to be thinking like this after one mile-and-a-half race on the all-weather. We’ve suddenly gone from that to talking about Group races. A lot of horses who win novices are still looking for experience before they go there. The one thing he’s got is age and experience, and he will be fit.”
Read these next:
‘It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make’ – Nicky Henderson to explore Flat options for Constitution Hill
The positive vibes coming out of the yard about Constitution Hill’s jumping will have made the decision ten times harder
Constitution Hill: the rise, dominance and drama of the hurdling champion
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