Kempton team await the Constitution Hill effect

Officials at Kempton are eagerly anticipating the return of Constitution Hill for his second Flat start on Wednesday.

Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old has been a regular visitor to the Sunbury circuit over the course of his illustrious career to date, winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day on three occasions as well as taking part in a number of pre-Cheltenham Festival gallops mornings.

With his jumping career brought to an end after three falls in his last four starts, Constitution Hill will now be fully focused on the level and he could hardly have made a better start when bringing down the house at Southwell last month with a brilliant victory.

Ryan Moore takes over in the saddle from the suspended Oisin Murphy as he looks to follow up against seven rivals in the Virgin Bet Novice Stakes – and Kempton’s clerk of the course Barney Clifford is excited to see what he can do.

He said: “What he did at Southwell was sensational, he really impressed me and I was giving him a Group Three figure straight away.

“Obviously he’s got to build on that and it’s nice that this race has slotted into his programme to get him a handicap mark.

“If he runs to a similar mark to what he did at Southwell it will be great and he has been here before. He obviously worked here on the gallops morning before the Cheltenham Festival and Nico (de Boinville) always said it was a bit slow for him, so he obviously copes with the surface.

“It’s nice people are taking him on – it’s not a two-runner race or anything. I know there were only nine initial entries, but eight of those have been confirmed which is great.”

Clifford is hoping Constitution Hill’s legion of fans will turn out to ensure Kempton is busier than is usually the case for a midweek evening all-weather fixture, adding: “I think pre-bookings have increased since the news came out that he was coming.

“I’m sure there will be an enhanced attendance.”

Constitution Hill will line up in the sixth race on an eight-race card, with a scheduled off time of 7.30pm.

In a video released on Kempton’s social media accounts, Henderson said: “He’s in great form and I think and hope that he’s looking forward to an outing at Kempton on Wednesday.

“He knows Kempton very, very well, not only from the Christmas Hurdles that he’s won there in the past, but he knows the all-weather well there as well as we’ve galloped him there several times in our pre-Cheltenham gallops morning there.

“He likes going there, he’s in good shape and Ryan Moore is going to ride him which is good, as he can hopefully tell us what we need to know.

“We’re very much looking forward to a night out and I’m sure he is. It’s all systems go, I hope it will be a fun evening for him and it will be for us if he can come home in front.”