What Next For Constitution Hill?

Constitution Hill was at a crossroads in his career after Cheltenham last month, but post-Aintree the much-feted Seven Barrows inmate feels more like he's standing on the edge of a cliff.

His fall in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham was hugely unexpected, despite the fact it wasn't entirely out of the blue.

Such an occurrence was widely expected to sharpen his mental approach, but then it happened again at Aintree, heavier than the first time and, perhaps, with the race already starting to get away from him.

Not for the first time, Nicky Henderson has a star performer on the ropes, with a racing public ready to write him off. Can the master trainer turn around Constitution Hill as he did with the likes of Sprinter Sacre in the past?

A spring of shocks for star turn

Perhaps nothing illustrates the stunned attitude to what has befallen Constitution Hill in the last month more than a look at his form figures.

The career of this star turn was only ever on an upward trajectory, improving from one season to the next, obliterating anything that stood in his way. 111-1111-1-11FF.

For three and a half years he was rising taller, becoming the poster boy for jumps racing, no limit it seemed to his talents.

Even when he sat out for 366 days, Constitution Hill made the headlines, dictated the narrative. There were off-days on racecourse gallops and missed festivals, but his name was always on the lips of every commentator and analyst.

He returned at Kempton in December and swatted away both the cobwebs and Lossiemouth with a stellar win, did what he needed to do at Cheltenham on Trials Day in January and then faced into his biggest test when looking to regain the Champion Hurdle.

It ended before it had truly begun, Golden Ace left to take the mantle after State Man also capsized.

At Aintree, another showdown with Lossiemouth beckoned but the mare was seemingly getting the better of the argument when Constitution Hill made a dramatic and humbling exit from centre stage two out.

Henderson with lots to ponder

Punchestown is still being considered for Constitution Hill, but after two falls in a little over three weeks, it already feels unlikely.

Much more probable is that we won't see him again until the depths of winter, the Fighting Fifth up at Newcastle a possible first port of call.

He'll be just shy of his ninth birthday by then and still with plenty of time in front of him to restore his reputation.

Sea Pigeon won two Champion Hurdles aged nine and 10, Hurricane Fly regained the mantle aged nine and is the most recent winner of that age-group.

Even the great Istabraq couldn't win a fourth after his eighth birthday, however, though perhaps the cancelled Festival of 2001 amid the foot and mouth crisis was a telling factor there too, denying him a shot when aged nine.

Henderson has a proven track record of lifting great horses back from major setbacks, Sprinter Sacre the main one, but also the likes of Binocular who won a Champion Hurdle he was set to miss out on.

Constitution Hill has set the Master of Seven Barrows a major challenge now, seemingly his concentration levels are as much of a worry as his physical ability.

It will become an intriguing narrative, this terrific hurdler enjoys setting the tone of discussion and much will be said and written before he pens his own next chapter.