Constitution Hill giving Henderson ‘biggest headache of my life’

Whether to run Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle is proving to be “the biggest headache” of Nicky Henderson’s life.

The Great Debate: Hurdling Risk vs. Flat Racing Reward

The former champion put his jumping woes behind him with a devastating display in his first run on the Flat at Southwell on Friday – but now Henderson and owner Michael Buckley have to decide whether the reward outweighs the risk for a horse who has fallen three times in four runs over hurdles.

“It’s been staggering, that was one of the most extraordinary nights we will experience,” said Henderson of the publicity the outing at Southwell generated.

“We went home thinking we’d just been through something that was surreal, and it was followed up the next day by the press and on the television.

“It’s been unbelievable, I think it’s been wonderful. We’re in this game because we love it and that’s what it comes down to, you love horses. It’s fantastic game and if that’s what racing can do for people then we are very lucky.

“I’m just in the privileged position of having this guy that is causing the biggest headache of my life! But it also created what was one of the greatest days of my whole term in this office. It was extraordinary.

“In a funny way he is the most boring horse in the world, if you lived with him you’d lead a very boring life because he is so predicable. He has even become predictable at falling over!”

Henderson will make a decision on Cheltenham following a schooling session later this week.

“We’re going to do something tomorrow and then Michael and I have got to sit down, it is as simple as that. I appreciate the interest and that’s why we’ve got to make a decision,” said the Seven Barrows handler, speaking at Kempton Park on Tuesday.

“Absolutely everybody has an opinion. I’ve got two great piles of paper, and then all the ones from people telling me how to school him over the years! The postbox is rammed full.

“It’s 50-50, I promise you. Every day I change my mind, but we’ve got to make a decision.

“The one thing he did do the other night was that he must have opened himself up to some sort of Flat career. Why didn’t the idiotic trainer realise this five years ago? Then it would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

In a funny way he is the most boring horse in the world, if you lived with him you’d lead a very boring life because he is so predicable. He has even become predictable at falling over

Nicky Henderson

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Asked about Royal Ascot and even the Melbourne Cup, Henderson said: “The Ascot Gold Cup is a different ball game, there are two things against that. One is getting the ground we would run him on, he’s a very big, heavy horse. Secondly, I don’t think he’d stay two and a half miles.

“He’d get two miles, obviously, but I don’t think he’d want any further.

“The ground would be a concern in Melbourne, you’d be thinking about a spring and autumn campaign where you’d take June and July and probably try to get a break in there.

“I had the most hysterical conversation with a lovely guy last night, it was 7am in Melbourne. They have a four-hour radio show called Giddy Up and this guy was hysterical, I was chatting to him forever! The guy was a star, I had a lovely time but I told him the chances of it happening were zero! We went through a list of reasons why it couldn’t happen.

“Realistically if he bent his knees eight times he’d win (the Champion Hurdle), he’s got to jump. The sadness is Sir Gino is in hospital because if he was here we might not have this dilemma. You could run them both obviously.

“If we go Flat racing we’ve got to sit down and work it out because one doodle around Southwell doesn’t make him favourite for the Melbourne Cup – that’s a long way away, I think.

“The Henry II (Sandown) is a race that springs to mind. There’s a lot of races, every racecourse seems to have chipped in, the Coronation Cup, York have been on. I have got my diary and I have got a Flat programme (book), believe it or not!”