Historic chase is the big betting race of the day as Constitution Hill returns in a clash with stablemate EpatanteThe first running of Newbury’s most historic handicap chase in its new guise as the Coral Gold Cup is one of the most competitive renewals this century, with no fewer than five horses top-priced as 8-1 co-favourites on Friday morning and four more a point behind on 9-1.Remastered, a faller four out when going like the winner 12 months ago, may prove to be the pick of the market leaders, but despite the strength and depth of the field, it is a surprise to find Our Power (3.05) at a double-figure price a little further down the list. Continue reading...
The meeting was a letdown but set against the failure to deal with potentially devastating global consequences it was trivialFergal O’Brien’s Twitter feed – @OBMRacing – reliably finds a lighter side amid the gloom and it was fast away from the traps again on Saturday afternoon, as racing Twitter reacted to the news that Constitution Hill had been scratched from his comeback race at Ascot. “Is Constitution Hill going to break Twitter,” it asked, “before Elon does?”Nicky Henderson’s decision to scratch last season’s brilliant Supreme Novice Hurdle winner a couple of hours before the Coral Hurdle provoked a predictably sour reception from many fans on social media. Accusations of undue caution, an obsession with the Festival in March above all...
The favourite for the Champion Hurdle is back, the highest-rated hurdler since the 1970s and the ill-fated Golden Cygnet “The best since …” was a theme of the final weeks of the Flat season, as the merits of the unbeaten colts, Flightline and Baaeed, were weighed in the balance against Secretariat and Frankel respectively, but when Constitution Hill steps onto the track before the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday afternoon, no “since” will be required.With a Timeform rating of 177 at the end of the 2021-22 season, Nicky Henderson’s gelding is, quite simply, the best novice hurdler in the 60-odd years since the firm starting crunching the numbers over jumps. Unbeaten in three outings, Constitution Hill rounded off his...
The favourite for the Champion Hurdle is back, the highest-rated hurdler since the 1970s and the ill-fated Golden Cygnet “The best since …” was a theme of the final weeks of the Flat season, as the merits of the unbeaten colts, Flightline and Baaeed, were weighed in the balance against Secretariat and Frankel respectively, but when Constitution Hill steps onto the track before the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday afternoon, no “since” will be required.With a Timeform rating of 177 at the end of the 2021-22 season, Nicky Henderson’s gelding is, quite simply, the best novice hurdler in the 60-odd years since the firm starting crunching the numbers over jumps. Unbeaten in three outings, Constitution Hill rounded off his...
The favourite for the Champion Hurdle is back, the highest-rated hurdler since the 1970s and the ill-fated Golden Cygnet “The best since …” was a theme of the final weeks of the Flat season, as the merits of the unbeaten colts, Flightline and Baaeed, were weighed in the balance against Secretariat and Frankel respectively, but when Constitution Hill steps onto the track before the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday afternoon, no “since” will be required.With a Timeform rating of 177 at the end of the 2021-22 season, Nicky Henderson’s gelding is, quite simply, the best novice hurdler in the 60-odd years since the firm starting crunching the numbers over jumps. Unbeaten in three outings, Constitution Hill rounded off his...