Golden Ace wins Fighting FIfth as Constitution Hill and The New Lion fall

Nico de Boinville jumped out to make all the running aboard the former Champion Hurdler but he stepped at the second obstacle and for the third time in his last four races was on the turf. Thankfully he galloped away seemingly unscathed.

That left The New Lion in front and he was still there until getting the second last all wrong and hitting the desk himself. Again he was reported to be fine afterwards.

And just like in the Unibet Champion Hurdle in March that left Golden Ace at the head of affairs and she stayed there.

Anzadam looked a threat but was readily outpaced on the run to the line as the reigning champion hurdler sprang a 22/1 surprise, winning by a length-and-a-half.

Winning trainer Jeremy Scott told Sky Sports Racing: “She’s run a brilliant race but I just hope that Constitution Hill and The New Lion are both up and about okay.

“I’m so pleased that we got her back from Wetherby. We were so flummoxed because we thought we had her in great form there. We were beaten nearly a mile from home, got her back home and scoped her and she had some mucus – that must have been why [she ran so badly].

“We scoped her again on the Tuesday and there was virtually nothing there. We changed the way we travelled up and stayed the night – perhaps she was a bit stressed the time before.”

Winning owner Ian Gosden added: “The best part of today is it’s an answer to those people who are suggesting she’s just lucky; she is a serious horse, one of the best in the country.

“She will have a couple of months off and then I quite fancy going over to Ireland and giving it to them in their back garden.”

Winning rider Lorcan Williams told ITV Racing: “It’s been a tough season for myself and Jeremy. She’s the flag bearer - she wasn’t herself last time - so it’s a great training performance to get her back,

“She travelled with so much zest and jumped fantastically. It’s so good to have the support and you wouldn’t believe how happy we are – the team at home do so well.

“I’m just so lucky to be onboard.”

Henderson despair

An emotional Nicky Henderson, trainer of Constitution Hill, said: "First and foremost I’ve spoken to Jack, our head lad up there, and they are both fine and that is all that matters to be honest with you. What we will make of it is another day really. What can you say. Just looking at he looked as if he was alright in front and then the hind leg just got dragged.

“That is the second time when he hands the race to someone else and then they don’t convert it like when State Man fell in the Champion Hurdle, and now The New Lion has gone as well. I hope they are alright as well, which is the main thing.

“I just love the way he jumped the first. I can’t believe it. Seriously, why not look at a two mile maiden on the flat. Let’s all think about it and get rational. It shakes you to bits really and it is really sad because can you go on asking him to do it. It doesn’t seem fair on anybody.

“Poor Michael (Buckley, owner), I could cry for him. We have been through it, and done everything, yet why has this habit crept in. It is too familiar. It is hard to go on watching it and I can’t teach him anymore. How can I tell him not to do it.

“We have listened to every theory in the book and the work has been fantastic. His jumping has been great and his work has just been superb. He has got to jump eight flights of hurdles and at the moment that is something he doesn’t seem to be able to do.

“No (the pace is not the problem) and we wouldn’t go over a fence with him. We are running out of options. I can’t tell you what we are going to do next. I wouldn’t be jesting if I said there was a two mile maiden on the flat as I would run him.

“He has been to racecourses and he is having a lovely time. He has been absolutely brilliant. Jumping fences will not solve the problem. It is tragic. You have got an animal here whose work has been unbelievable. Nico and I were confident he was as good as ever.

“In a funny way this is worse than last season as last season we just had to get him back. I don’t know where to go or what to do. Fences are not the right solution I would be absolutely sure of. I couldn’t be responsible for skiing him to jump a fence and if something happened and he got hurt. That is the issue that comes into it here. It has gotten silly now. It is beyond belief to be fair. It seems horribly unfair on everybody. The work that has gone in meant we thought we were on top of everything.”

Dan Skelton said of The New Lion: "He's fine. He took a chance, it's the same chance he took at the last at Cheltenham in the Turners. We got away with that one but we didn't get away with it today. We need not to go back to the drawing board but dust ourselves down and get a bit more practice.

"Look I jumped him at speed in the week, there's no way we came here underprepared, but he was going a speed there he's never gone on the track before and it just caught him out. He's okay after and we'll think about what we're going to do.

"But the one thing today did tell me is we're okay at the trip. Two miles is a good trip for him."

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