ONCE Invincible: Constitution Hill has fallen for the second time in less than four weeks: from the historic shock at Cheltenham to Nico de Boinville being thrown from his saddle at Aintree – the horse that once amazed the world now looks heartbreakingly frail!
In the electrifying world of National Hunt racing, where glory can turn to heartbreak in the blink of an eye, few stories have captivated audiences like that of Constitution Hill.
The eight-year-old gelding, trained by the legendary Nicky Henderson and owned by Michael Buckley, entered the 2025 Cheltenham Festival as the undisputed king of hurdling.
Undefeated in 10 starts, with eight Grade One victories under his belt, including a demolition job in the 2023 Champion Hurdle, Constitution Hill was more than a horse—he was a phenomenon. Pundits whispered of dynasty; fans dreamed of immortality.
But on March 11, under the roar of the Prestbury Park crowd, the invincible facade shattered in spectacular fashion.
The Unibet Champion Hurdle unfolded like a Greek tragedy. Sent off at odds-on favorite, Constitution Hill, ridden by Nico de Boinville, bounded forward with his trademark fluency. The field included formidable rivals like State Man, the Irish raider seeking redemption, and the dark horse Golden Ace.
For the first half of the race, all was as scripted: Constitution Hill dictated terms, his long, raking stride eating up the turf. Then, approaching the third-last flight, disaster struck.
In a moment that froze the grandstands, the leader misjudged the hurdle, crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs and flying divots. De Boinville was unceremoniously hurled from the saddle, landing hard but escaping serious injury.
Mere strides later, State Man, now the momentary leader, suffered a similar fate at the final flight, parting company with jockey Paul Townend.
Chaos reigned. Golden Ace, a 25-1 outsider trained by Harry Fry, threaded through the wreckage to claim an improbable victory, her second at the Festival after the previous year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
The crowd, stunned into silence before erupting in a mix of applause and disbelief, watched as Constitution Hill scrambled to his feet, galloping riderless alongside State Man. Post-race checks from the British Horseracing Authority confirmed both horses and jockeys were “absolutely fine,” but the psychological toll was immediate.
“It’s a tragedy those horses came down,” Fry said, his joy tempered by empathy. “It spoilt the race entirely.” For Henderson, the master of Seven Barrows, it was a gut punch. “He’s the best horse in the business,” he later reflected, “but it’s horrible to watch.”
Less than four weeks later, on April 4 at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, the script twisted further into farce. The Liverpool Hurdle—Grade One glory on Merseyside—offered Constitution Hill a chance at redemption.
Fresh from a quiet spell to shake off the Cheltenham cobwebs, he lined up against a field headlined by Lossiemouth, the Willie Mullins-trained mare who had dominated the Mares’ Hurdle just 23 days prior. Again the favorite, Constitution Hill started keenly under de Boinville, but cracks appeared early.
Entering the home turn in third, he found himself boxed in by rivals, the pace quickening to championship intensity. As the field funneled toward the final bends, panic set in.
De Boinville urged him forward, but the horse took off prematurely at a hurdle, launching too soon and plummeting earthward once more. De Boinville was thrown clear, bruised but unbroken, while Constitution Hill rose slowly, his once-fluid gait now hesitant.
Lossiemouth, piloted by the ice-cool Paul Townend, capitalized masterfully, surging clear to win by four lengths and complete a Grade One four-timer for Mullins on the day. It was a gritty performance from the five-year-old, who had bypassed the Champion Hurdle clash to preserve her freshness.
“This is her third win at Cheltenham,” Townend beamed, “and now Aintree. She’s in a different league.” For the Riccis, her owners, the day mixed triumph with sorrow—one of their juveniles, Willy De Houelle, had fatally injured itself earlier.
Yet Constitution Hill’s fall overshadowed all, marking his second “F” in as many elite starts. Henderson, ever the optimist, downplayed tactical errors: “He took off sooner than the rider wanted, but these things happen at speed.” Privately, though, whispers of frailty grew louder.
What had gone so catastrophically wrong for a horse who once made hurdling look effortless? Constitution Hill’s career had been a masterclass in dominance.
From his debut demolition in the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to his Champion Hurdle rout, he had won by a combined 52 lengths in his last five outings before Cheltenham. Observers hailed his mental steel and physical prowess—a “machine,” Buckley called him. But the spring of 2025 exposed vulnerabilities.
Vets ruled out major injuries, pointing instead to jumping rustiness after a long layoff and the psychological scars of high-stakes pressure. “The mental side can endure long after the physical heals,” noted one racing psychologist.
Henderson echoed this, insisting: “He’s got such a great mind; the falls are unlikely to worry him.”
The fallout rippled through the sport. Punchestown in May offered scant solace: Constitution Hill, fifth and beaten 27 lengths by State Man in the Boodles Champion Hurdle, looked a shadow of himself—tame, disengaged, as if the fire had flickered out. “Something has gone wrong,” Henderson admitted.
“That’s not him.” Fans mourned the loss of a marquee star, while rivals like Lossiemouth and Golden Ace stepped into the void, injecting fresh intrigue into the two-mile hurdling division. Henderson paused the campaign, granting the horse a “quiet week” to regroup.
By November, whispers of a comeback surfaced, but another fall in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle—his third in four starts—dashed hopes anew. Golden Ace, now a proven champion, stormed to victory, leaving Constitution Hill’s team “mentally bruised.”
Today, as winter looms, Constitution Hill’s future hangs in limbo. Henderson vows no chasing forays, sticking to hurdles where his prodigy once reigned supreme. “We’ll rethink the whole thing,” the trainer said post-Newcastle.
Buckley, the steadfast owner, clings to memories of glory: “He amazed the world once; he can again.” Yet the image lingers—a once-invincible titan, stumbling in the spotlight, his coat dulled, his stride faltering.
In racing’s cruel theater, where peaks are precipitous and valleys profound, Constitution Hill’s tale serves as poignant reminder: even gods can tumble. Will he rise, reforged, for Cheltenham 2026? Or has the magic ebbed forever? The answer, like the next hurdle, remains tantalizingly out of reach.
For now, the sport watches, hearts heavy, hoping for one more miracle from the horse who briefly made the impossible routine.
