Constitution Hill bids to get his career back on track this weekend and owner Michael Buckley is feeling upbeat about the challenge ahead.
The eight-year-old Constitution Hill is undoubtedly one of the best hurdlers we've seen for decades but for his owner there is a sense of having to prove the point all over again this season after the last campaign ended with two falls and a fifth at the Punchestown Festival in May.
Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico De Boinville, will face stern opposition in Saturday's BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle but Buckley revealed how he was looking forward to the race on Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast.
"How am I feeling? Combative," he said.
"I've been reading some articles by people, I don't know who they are, saying that if he doesn't win it's all over, how Nicky and I will have retire the horse, and all this sort of stuff - I don't think there's ever been one second when either of us have thought about retiring the horse.
"I remember at Aintree when Charlie Swann said to me: 'Well, Istabraq fell over twice'. He's supposed to be one of the greatest hurdlers that's ever been, so I suppose it can happen to the best of them. I think probably all good hurdlers, the really good ones, are so quick at the hurdles that you've only got to get something wrong by an inch or so...
"But I'm looking forward to it, I think it'll be fun. We're kind of considered as the underdog which is unusual what with what's gone before, but that's a nice place to be.
"I think the horse seems to be very, very happy and well in himself. The trainer seems happy and very well in himself, as does the jockey so I think it'll be interesting, fun and maybe we'll come home with our tails between our legs, but I think that he'll put up a good show anyway."
WATCH: Constitution Hill slam State Man by nine lengths in the 2023 Champion Hurdle
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Buckley admits that Constitution Hill winning at the weekend is likely to feel more important to him as owner compared to Henderson, will be looking at the bigger picture and the season ahead.
He explained: "I saw Nicky say that if he got beaten it wouldn't be the end of the world, then onto the Christmas Hurdle, but we've all got different points of view.
"Nicky won't have the horse completely wound up now, although that's what some writers seem to suggest, that wouldn't be his way. He has great faith in the horse so he'll be eyeing things later in the season - the horse is bound to come on for the race.
"So does he have to win? No, if it was a race like Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File and we won by a neck, or lost by a neck, it wouldn't be the end of the world. But for me, personally, I suppose I'm a bit more edgy. Nicky has got Lulamba and other lovely things to think about - I haven't got any other really good horses, so I suppose it's marginally more important to me than it is to him, to win.
"I think it's easy to forget, in the world today, how good the horse was and if you think back about his career, his 10 wins and what he did as a novice, he holds the track record at Cheltenham - those are things that only the very best horses do. And when I was growing up and first had horses, I was always told jump horses are at their peak at seven, eight and nine so he could, in theory, be at his peak.
"I've got little inclinations to think that perhaps the horse wasn't quite right last year, and one thing or another. I just think he looks happier, his work's been better. I think he could be like the Constitution Hill of old so we'll see. On his day, if he's near his best, he's a tough nut to crack. So that's what I'm hoping to see on Saturday."
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