Nicky Henderson is delighted with the preparations of both Constitution Hill and Hyland ahead of their weekend assignments.
Constitution Hill goes for the Grade 1 BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle after a tumultuous last campaign where he fell at Cheltenham and Aintree before he ran a poor race at Punchestown.
The eight-year-old has had a good pre-season, though, including coming through the public gallop at Newbury that was the start of his travails last season.
Henderson said on Sky Sports Racing on Tuesday: “The past few weeks have all been positives.
“He’s been to Worcester, Newbury, Newbury was very good and he had a gallop yesterday (Monday), Nico [de Boinville] was very pleased.
“Things have gone according to plan.
“We’ve done more jumping this prep than we have done with any horse, really. It was only to make sure to be sure and now he has got his eye in.”
Down at Newbury Henderson runs Hyland in the Coral Gold Cup where James Bowen will take the ride on the eight-year-old with De Boinville up at Newcastle.
The ground is currently Good to Soft on the chase course and Henderson hopes it stays that way.
“Good ground is pretty important to him,” he said.
“He had a great season as a novice last year, unfortunately it finished in the Grand National but up until then everything had gone really well.
“[Second season] Novices have a great record in the Coral Gold Cup and I think we won it with both Trabolgan and Bob’s Worth as [second season] novices.
“It’s always highly competitive, but he’s a good jumper, loves good ground - which I hope we’ll get - and it’s been our plan all through the summer.
“He had a run at Cheltenham which he did need quite badly and we think we’re in a pretty good place.”
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