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Dazzling Constitution lands Sky Bet Supreme

Constitution Hill produced a stunning performance to lead home a Nicky Henderson one-two in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

There was a false start when Dysart Dyamo broke the tape and that rival and Jonbon led the field when the race got under way at the second attempt.

The winner sat third and was in the slipstream of his stablemate when Dysart Dynamo took a crashing fall at the third last.

Both the Seven Barrows runners were on the bridle at that stage but turning in Nico De Boinville took the winner to the front and he went clear for a spectacular 22 lengths success. Kilcruit was third without threatening to land a blow.

Paddy Power made him a 3/1 chance for next season's Unibet Champion Hurdle, Sky Bet are 5/2.

De Boinville said: “I knew it was going to be fast and furious and in fairness he did it like a piece of work. I was so happy going to the last. He could be anything, I’m sure he’d jump a fence as well. He’s got so much scope.

“I didn’t really have a choice (to go for home when he did), he was travelling so well. They’ve gone a really hard gallop and he’s just picked the bridle up. I’m delighted for his owner Michael Buckley, he’ll be ecstatic. What a way to start the week, what a legend.”

Henderson said: “That was awesome. I know what the second horse is and I would have been very surprised if anything could have done that to Jonbon, so he must be an extraordinary animal. The hype horse earlier on in the year was Jonbon, then this fella woke up from his slumbers at home and we suddenly realised that actually he was very good.

“He’s been very good but the big question was how much he actually knew, he’s run in two hurdle races with four runners in each. To suddenly go out there and go at that gallop, that’s the extraordinary thing. He can travel so easily at that pace and then pick it up, to find gears at the end of a headlong gallop like that was extraordinary.”

“I just feel sorry for Jonbon! The three of them, with Dysart Dynamo too, had pulled a long way clear when he fell and no one wants to see that. This is obviously a very good horse because we know Jonbon is a very good horse so for him (Constitution Hill) to do that to him is remarkable. He is extraordinary. Actually today was the first time he woke up in the stables before the race. They felt the atmosphere pre-race.

“I can’t believe he’s a genuine two-miler. He’d stay two and a half standing on his head, but he does have an enormous turn of foot. He’s always just racing two gears below everyone else because it’s all so easy and then you press a button and it works.

“In some ways he’s the perfect horse, but in others he’s hard to work as everything is so easy for him. In the last few weeks I’ve had to get horses to go with him, not Jonbon. It’s hard when a horse is that good, but good fun. That feels like a relief. That race was everything and now we can look forward to Shishkin.”

Marie's Rock lands Mares' Hurdle for Henderson and De Boinville

Marie's Rock kept on strongly to win the Mares' Hurdle, providing trainer Nicky Henderson and rider Nico de Boinville with a second Grade 1 winner on the afternoon.

Marie's Rock, an 18/1 shot, challenged Queens Brook halfway up the run-in and kept on well to prevail by a length and three-quarters.

Mrs Milner, the winner of the Pertemps Final at last year's Festival, stayed on well in third, a further length and three-quarters behind the runner-up. She was hampered in an incident at the second-last when Indefatigable fell, bringing down Telmesomethinggirl - representing Honeysuckle's connections - who was still going well.

Henderson and De Boinville had earlier teamed up to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle with Constitution Hill.

The winning trainer said: “This is fantastic because we lost her last year, a bit like Epatante, she went walkabout – it’s lovely when they come back. I was very impressed with her when she won at Warwick last time out so I was hopeful, but I knew it would be very competitive. Winning the first race takes the pressure off, we can enjoy it all now.”

Rambler claims dramatic Ultima

Corach Rambler (10/1) threaded between rivals to claim a dramatic win in the Ultima Handicap Chase.

Derek Fox was sat towards the rear of the field aboard Lucinda Russell's charge and turning in the front-running Gericault Roque and strong-travelling Oscar Elite seemingly had the race between them.

But cutting through the pack, the winner was third jumping the last and with momentum and a gap between rivals, he hit the line hard - and a length to the good.

Russell said: “It means so much. Driving here I said to Scu (partner Peter Scudamore) ‘if we had loads of horses running at the Festival, it wouldn’t matter so much’, but we’re so invested in the two that are here.

“Scu does everything with this horse and it’s not just having a winner at Cheltenham, which means a lot, but it’s about the horse and the owners, a lot of whom haven’t had a horse before. It’s amazing. He worked quite well with Ahoy Senor the other day. Most horses couldn’t lay a finger on him, but this horse got quite close to him.

“I didn’t want him to go to Ascot last time, Scu did. He said afterwards he would have been first or second and would have gone up 5lb, so maybe it was a good thing that he unseated. He could be an Aintree horse next year, definitely.

“Because of the false starts we were at the back and I was stood with the owners and said to one of them ‘we’ll need a vintage Derek Fox ride’ and we got one. It’s funny, it suits the horse as he loves coming through horses. He’s a bit quirky but that was lovely, we knew he’d come up the hill as he’d won here before.

“I’ve said before, Scu rides him all the time and they suit each other as they are both quirky. I want them to do two canters and he’ll head off and canter on the grass. It’s great, well done Derek.”

Brazil floors Warrior gamble

Brazil edged out hot favourite Gaelic Warrior to give trainer Padraig Roche a first Festival winner in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

French import Gaelic Warrior looked like justifying his short price of 13/8 favourite on his debut for Willie Mullins, but he was collared close home by the former Aidan O’Brien-trained Brazil.

Both horses were up with the pace from the outset with Gaelic Warrior making virtually all until Brazil (10-1) got the upper hand close home in the hands of Mark Walsh.

“It’s fantastic, we’re lucky to have a horse like him. It’s great,” said Roche, who took over the licence from his father, Christy. “He’s a full-brother to Capri so we knew he’d definitely stay, Mark was brilliant on him so I’m just delighted. JP and Noreen (McManus) have been very good to me.

“It’s unbelievable, I’ve been coming here since I was young, when dad was training. It’s just unbelievable that it’s worked out. We just thought he was improving, it’s taken him a while with his jumping but he was improving.”

Of Gaelic Warrior, who was a huge ante-post plunge, Joe Chambers, racing manager to owner Rich Ricci said: “He jumped a bit right and put down at the third-last. Then he went right at the last. He’s going to jump fences fairly shortly. Look it was worth a punt and it gave everyone a kick. There’s plenty of time, he’s not even eight years old.”

Mullins off the mark in finale

Willie Mullins got off the mark for the Cheltenham 2022 Festival when Stattler ran out a clear-cut winner of the Ukraine Appeal National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase.

It was quick compensation after hot favourite Gaelic Warrior had been agonisingly beaten a short head in the penultimate race of the day, the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Mullins – the winning-most trainer at the showpiece fixture – had also seen the well-fancied Dysart Dynamo fall in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle plus defeats for Appreciate It and Stormy Ireland.

Mullins’ amateur rider son Patrick bided his time on the seven-year-old, as Run Wild Fred set the pace in this three-and-three-quarter-mile test – in which all the runners sported saddle cloths in the colours of Ukrainian flag.

The jockey made his move from three out and Stattler (2-1) eased into he lead before pulling clear to score by eight lengths from the Gordon Elliott-trained 15-8 favourite. The first two were 22 lengths clear of Vanillier in third.

Mullins senior said: “This English dominance has been going on all day! I thought Patrick was very cool on him, certainly my nerves were in bits going round the whole time. Patrick got him into a rhythm, got him settled, got him jumping and produced him at the right time.

“I thought coming round the last bend, when he couldn’t put it to bed, I thought he might just be in trouble, but he got him round the last bend and just pinged him at the second-last. He knew he had his measure then. I think he only made one mistake, or put in one short one during the race – Patrick just sat there and got the horse to do the work.

“I think he’s a good jumper and that’s why Patrick nominated him early in the season for this race. He was thinking of himself the whole time, which is the right thing to do, it worked out! He probably has enough class win over two and a half miles or three miles.”

On only six runners going to post, he added: “I suppose Cheltenham will have to look into that, perhaps the good horses are scaring away the other horses. There were very few runners today altogether so that will have to be looked at, I think.”

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