Ed Chamberlin relieved that Constitution Hill doesn't run at Cheltenham and looking ahead to exciting Flat campaign

By Ed Chamberlin

Horse Racing

Wed February 25, 2026 · 15 min ago

ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin feels connections of Constitution Hill have made the right call in swerving a return to hurdling at Cheltenham.

I'll be honest with you, my reaction is what a relief.

In my eyes, this is absolutely the right decision - for two reasons really. One, as I said on the show on Saturday, I just couldn't see the reward of staying over hurdles getting anywhere near the risk involved.

And I'll be honest with you, I was dreading presenting Champion Hurdle day if he'd run in the race because I think if there'd been a sofa, I'd have watched it behind that, and that would have been replicated around the country.

It would have been wonderful to see him win another Champion Hurdle, but he doesn't need to. His legacy is in place as a great hurdler, and I think the emotion of him winning a Champion Hurdle would have actually been more relief than celebration.

Nicky Henderson pictured alongside Constitution Hill

READ: Constitution Hill ruled out of Unibet Champion Hurdle at 2026 Cheltenham Festival by trainer Nicky Henderson

And I think they've done exactly the right thing. Nicky Henderson gave Oli Bell an excellent interview at Kempton on Saturday where he said, all the good work of what happened last Friday could have been undone in 10 seconds.

I would argue that all the amazing things that Nicky Henderson has done in a training career spanning decades could have been undone in 10 seconds. That's how big a thing this was for the sport.

So I'm hugely relieved by that.

And the Tuesday of Cheltenham should be really special now with him parading. He'll get an absolute hero's reception that day. Because this is the horse that resonates, the one horse that resonates far beyond the sport. So I'm looking forward to that.

And how exciting now is his Flat career? We were having a chat with Ruby Walsh the other day and looking at horses that have gone hurdling from Flat careers and what they've achieved. And you'd do well to find one since Sea Pigeon anywhere near Constitution Hill's ability.

And yet so many of them have been successful when you think about the likes of Ethical Diamond who couldn't win a Scottish Champion Hurdle and he's won at the Breeders' Cup. Vauban was only fourth in a Champion Hurdle and look at the Flat races he's won. Wicklow Brave was a handicap hurdler, and look what he achieved on the Flat. Rite Of Passage won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot three months after finishing third in what is now the Turners.

And then we went further back and looked at Vintage Crop, a Melbourne Cup winner, which Michael Buckley mentioned on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday show at the weekend. Vintage Crop achieved the Holy Grail, clearly for Michael Buckley, and he was sixth in a Champion Hurdle behind Granville Again - no offence to Granville Again, but Constitution Hill is one of the greatest Champion Hurdlers we've ever seen.

The only horses you put in that sort of category would be Istabraq, Big Buck's in the staying division, Hurricane Fly, and none of them tried it. So the world could be his oyster. And I think that's really exciting.