Constitution Hill ruled out of Cheltenham Festival
The 2023 Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill will not run at Cheltenham and Arkle Chase favourite Marine Nationale is also ruled out.
Author: News
Champion Hurdle Favourite Constitution Hill to Miss Cheltenham
Constitution Hill (GB) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) will not run at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.
The unbeaten and defending Champion Hurdle hero worked poorly at Kempton Park last Tuesday, putting his participation at the showpiece meeting in major doubt.
A scope showed mucus in his lungs and despite slightly more positive news in the following days, results of a blood test on Thursday proved to be another blow.
However, Henderson stressed that another blood test on Monday would probably prove to be the “acid test”, and on receiving the results he posted on his Twitter account, “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.
“He has undoubtedly improved over the weekend and seems noticeably brighter than he was at the end of last week and I really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.
“Unfortunately the all important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week's time.
“There are three significant markers on the blood test all of which have come down since Thursday's sample but are still raised enough to indicate that he has not fully recovered from whatever was ailing him.
“The only way to continue the improvement is not to stress him and he obviously cannot run in these Olympic games if he's not trained sufficiently.
“This is very sad for all of us and particularly Michael [Buckley, owner] but it is in everybody's best interests that we ensure we have a fit and healthy Constitution Hill to win back his crown next year.”
The Willie Mullins-trained State Man (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}), who was the nine-length runner-up to Constitution Hill in last year's Champion Hurdle, is now the 1-3 favourite for the race.
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Constitution Hill, Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle favourite, is ruled OUT of the big race after failing to satisfy any of the three significant markers on his blood test
DOM KING: But further tests on Monday confirmed that Constitution Hill - who has not been beaten in eight starts under rules - has not made the required progress.
Rod Street to Leave GBR Next Month
Rod Street has announced his intention to step down from his role as CEO of Great British Racing (GBR) at the end of April.
Street has led British horseracing's marketing body since 2010 but has plans to launch his own mentoring venture. He will continue in his role as CEO of British Champions Series Limited until later in the year.
“It is my privilege to work in horseracing. I enter my 31st year in the sport in May this year and that time has been split evenly between senior leadership roles – both at racecourses and at the centre of the sport,” he said. “The time feels right to do something new and it is my intention to launch a new venture in coaching and mentoring leaders of the future, which many people know is a passion of mine.
“I am very proud of the achievements of the team at GBR. Racing is significantly better promoted now than it was 15 years ago. Jockeys are developing into superb ambassadors for the sport, we produce content on an almost daily basis and it is rare for a news opportunity or milestone to be missed. GBR has delivered large national campaigns on themes as diverse as equine welfare, under 18s race free and Sports Personality of the Year. Such is the extent of GBR's work that our name goes largely unnoticed, as it should do, because our job is to tell the stories – not be the story.”
He continued, “Reflecting on my time at GBR, there have been so many positive moments. Often it is the hard-earned wins that provide the most satisfaction – such as the team landing coverage of a sporting achievement on the national six o'clock or ten o'clock news programmes, or securing a big feature in the tabloids and broadsheets. But, in terms of major impact, I would cite QIPCO British Champions Series and Day and National Racehorse Week as huge innovations. And we also now have a Flat Racing Hall of Fame, which has been an honour to work on.
“Looking to racing's future, this is a time of both challenge and opportunity. It is encouraging that the sport has come together to address declines in revenue and engagement. Racing is not alone – most sports outside football face precisely the same challenge – and we are competing for customers' attention in a fiercely competitive environment. The principle of leading with our best quality products through Premier Racing is the right one. I remain optimistic for the sport, because we have history, heritage and a level of coverage that other sports would die for.”
The BHA's chief executive Julie Harrington paid tribute to Street's “trademark optimism and vivacity”.
She said, “Rod is an experienced, respected and much-loved individual in racing. Working in a multi-stakeholder environment is not easy and it is testament to Rod's qualities that he has thrived in the role of CEO at Great British Racing for nearly 15 years.
“More recently he has been an integral part of the Industry Strategy, working across multiple areas, and has made a huge contribution to that.
“We are sincerely sorry to lose him, but respect his decision and on behalf of racing's stakeholders thank him for all he has done, including the energy and passion he has brought to every task. Rod has made a big difference to how racing is promoted, compared to when he joined GBR in 2010. I'm sure we will continue to see lots of him in the future.”
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