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Constitution Hill – one of National Hunt racing’s biggest names – returned to winning ways with a commanding switch to the Flat at the Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes.<\/b><\/p>\n
Having triumphed in his first 10 races, the once-seemingly unbeatable horse had fallen three times in four outings.<\/p>\n
In an attempt to get back on track, trainer Nicky Henderson entered him in the mile-and-a-half Flat race at Southwell, before a possible tilt at March’s Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, which he won in 2023.<\/p>\n
Starting 6-4 favourite and with five-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the saddle, the move paid off as the nine-year-old took to the front well before the line and held firm to win by nine-and-a-half lengths from Square Necker and Gambino.<\/p>\n
“He felt like a machine,” Murphy told ITV afterwards.<\/p>\n
“It went to plan. It would’ve been very easy for me to blast off in front, but I wanted to get in among them and give him an idea of what a Flat race is like.<\/p>\n
“For a big horse that’s been jumping, he has a lot of speed and he’s a joy to ride.”<\/p>\n
Henderson, meanwhile, said the emphatic display under the Nottinghamshire course’s floodlights would “open up a lot of doors”.<\/p>\n
“We’ve been through a few tears over the last year or so,” he admitted. “It’s nice to be back with positive vibes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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