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2026 Champion Hurdle

I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see Sir Gino this year, or he had a lowkey season. He's only 5 turning 6, so plenty of time to let him recover
 
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Absolutely gutted about Constitution Hill.

I saw a bit yesterday about going to Kempton with him. Obviously I don't want him to hurt himself or worse, and this will probably sound silly, but he almost knows 'how to fall' as he's taken three crashing falls at speed and been fine each time. Every time I see him fall, and the same when Buveur D'air fell too, I always remember Darlan and that was horrific to watch.

Anzadam just didn't want to get on with the job, which was frustrating. Had every chance, and just acted like a knob! I've seen some people say he looked fit and well and others saying he was carrying some timber, so I've no idea what shape he was actually in! Willie seemed happy enough with it, but was he really? Before the race they were saying how good he was in his piece of work!

As much as I'm not a fan of The New Lion, I do feel for his backers, it's one thing falling early like Constitution Hill, it's another falling two from home. I'm not sure if he wins the race or not, we'll never know, but he was there, competing.

Lossiemouth pisses this race for me IF they let her have a crack at it!
 
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Hi Lads, what is your opinion on Sir Gino if Hendo did switch him to hurdles. Would he have a chance on ratings or is it a big ask? 8/1 doesn't look value in my eyes
 
Big Zeb said:
Hi Lads, what is your opinion on Sir Gino if Hendo did switch him to hurdles. Would he have a chance on ratings or is it a big ask? 8/1 doesn't look value in my eyes
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If he were back to his best he'd give Lossiemouth a real test. Big if though.
 
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Big Zeb said:
Hi Lads, what is your opinion on Sir Gino if Hendo did switch him to hurdles. Would he have a chance on ratings or is it a big ask? 8/1 doesn't look value in my eyes
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Was value at 20/1 before Sat, due to the Anzadam owner connection and Cons Hill trainer connection…… but at 8/1 would wait and see an entry or/and run to at least know the horse is well enough to race this season!
 
Big Zeb said:
Hi Lads, what is your opinion on Sir Gino if Hendo did switch him to hurdles. Would he have a chance on ratings or is it a big ask? 8/1 doesn't look value in my eyes
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Yeah, I won't be touching him at 8/1.
 
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Retirement is out of the question for Constitution Hill according to Nicky Henderson.

Also, Sir Gino may go for the Christmas Hurdle! He is near enough all blue for this race now with Constitution Hill going out to 16's top price!

The flat is still an option for Constitution Hill.

I think they might have a flat run before Cheltenham then give him one last chance at the festival.
 
If the hurdles are different in Ireland, could Constitution Hill prep there instead and get his confidence back ?
 
Lobos said:
If the hurdles are different in Ireland, could Constitution Hill prep there instead and get his confidence back ?
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I stopped listening to Hendo a long time ago and his latest ramble won't be pushing me to review that stance.
He went to Punchestown last season and jumped as bad as ever, it just didn't result in him hitting the deck, he generally puts in one bad one a round, at Punchestown there were several errors, the issues are very much in his head and it seems can't be resolved.
His jumping has been poor at Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown and Newcastle, the only consistency there is the regularity not the obstacles....
 
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Wodhooh clipped into 12's with PP.
 
…..Henderson;

Retirement had been mooted in some quarters for the Michael Buckley-owned eight-year-old, but Henderson revealed that the horse is more likely to have a run on the Flat than be retired, having shown his trainer plenty of zest in the build-up to Saturday’s content.

He explained: “I was gutted. We were utterly convinced [that he would jump round], he hadn’t put a foot wrong in his schooling and his work had been fantastic.

“We hadn’t seen him work better than he has been, which makes it all the more disappointing.

“You have to accept that at some point someone might get hurt – he has had three falls and both horse and jockey have come home unscathed – but it’s gruelling.

“He’s very important to our lives and we won’t keep asking him to do something if we don’t think it’s right.

“We have to be very careful and well aware of the public perception. If anything catastrophic did happen then people would have the opinion that we shouldn’t have done it.

“We’re not giving up for sure and retirement is out of the question as far as I’m concerned – he's an eight-year-old who is in his prime – and there are other things we can do.

“The one thing I wouldn’t rule out is giving him a run on the Flat and seeing where he stands. He’s such a high-class horse and there might be crazy things he could do under that code, though he has never seen a starting stall in his life.

“It’s amongst the many different options.

“He won’t run over fences. We’ve schooled him – he hasn’t had a fall – but we have tried him over mini-fences and that is not the route; that would not solve the problem. That is categorical.

“But I’m not going to promise that he will never jump a hurdle again because he will.”
 
Hurdling could also be on the cards for fellow Seven Barrows inmate Sir Ginowho shortened in the betting for the Champion Hurdle on the back of Saturday’s incident.

Henderson revealed: “It has crossed our mind over the weekend, but it’s just a possibility – no more than that.

“I need a race for him around Christmas, and I was thinking of the Desert Orchid [handicap chase], but we aren't going to make any firm targets for him because I don’t want to have a deadline where we are aiming at a race.

“We are going to let him take us and tell us when he is ready.

“But the obvious race if you were going to start him then would be the Christmas Hurdle, and if that was the case then it’s possible [that he could run in the Champion Hurdle].

“He isn’t a novice now over fences, so if we went down the two-mile route then we would be looking at the Clarence House and then the Champion Chase.”
 
….P Mullins;

Mullins admits he'd have hoped for a better conclusion, but reckons there's still plenty to work on with Marie and Joe Donnelly's five-year-old as well.

He said: "I didn't hear any bad news on Anzadam this morning (Monday), so I presume he's fine.

"I suppose it's only his third run for us, it's important to remember that, so he's entitled to improve a lot. I think he's probably entitled to improve more than a lot of our other horses. He's quite a keen horse and quite fragile so we don't really get to train him very hard.

So while the bare result was probably a bit disappointing, I definitely wouldn't write him off. I think it looks an open Champion Hurdle and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he still made up into a Champion Hurdle horse.

"He'll need to improve but I think he will.

"Obviously, he looked quite awkward up the home straight. We'd have to get to the bottom of that and see if there's something niggling him, or was it just greenness. So while we were maybe slightly disappointed with the result on the day, we definitely haven't given up hope on him yet."
 
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The way i see this is with state ma
Eggs said:
Hurdling could also be on the cards for fellow Seven Barrows inmate Sir Ginowho shortened in the betting for the Champion Hurdle on the back of Saturday’s incident.

Henderson revealed: “It has crossed our mind over the weekend, but it’s just a possibility – no more than that.

“I need a race for him around Christmas, and I was thinking of the Desert Orchid [handicap chase], but we aren't going to make any firm targets for him because I don’t want to have a deadline where we are aiming at a race.

“We are going to let him take us and tell us when he is ready.

“But the obvious race if you were going to start him then would be the Christmas Hurdle, and if that was the case then it’s possible [that he could run in the Champion Hurdle].

“He isn’t a novice now over fences, so if we went down the two-mile route then we would be looking at the Clarence House and then the Champion Chase.”
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Didnt take long for 365 to grey out any bets with him in :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
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Eggs said:
He explained: “I was gutted. We were utterly convinced [that he would jump round], he hadn’t put a foot wrong in his schooling and his work had been fantastic.

“We hadn’t seen him work better than he has been, which makes it all the more disappointing.
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I know this to be untrue, in his final piece of work he clouted one and unshipped his pilot (no idea if this was Nico or a work rider), hard to take anything he said seriously for me...
 
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Istabraq said:
I know this to be untrue, in his final piece of work he clouted one and unshipped his pilot (no idea if this was Nico or a work rider), hard to take anything he said seriously for me...
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How oh how can Trainers put the public away…..should be consequences IMO

I didnt back Cons Hill and have been in the Lossie camp CH before season start, but how do people who have backed Cons Hill either for the FF (which a lot must have done as he was second fav early on) and people who have backed Cons Hill ante post, feel about this news if and when they (ever) become aware……not happy id guess!😡
 
Wodhooh entered for the Dec Hurdle at Leopardstown

Maybe the reason for the price cuts today for the CH

Will she run at Leopardstown ?
 
Well the bookies seem to be running scared of Sir Gino for the Champions Hurdle. Second favourite now between 3/1 and 5/1 across the Board. I'm not buying it. Horse was very very ill so doesn't make sense.
 
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this is where betting is nowadays

too many podcast, social media, FOMO… just means the bookies just shorten anything that’s trending

Easy game for them

A bunch of horses that where short in the betting, and had questions marks didn’t perform over then weekend, people know looking wide of the mark, and discounting everything that make the outsider an… outsider

Sir Gino still needs to come back after his injury and length absense

Lossie - still needs to prove she gets the trip
Sir Gino - injury and needs to come back
TNL - trip and now fall to add to that
Munny - slight setback, still needs to prove himself
Golden Ace…. 14/1ish. Has the least question marks

Maybe state man was the best 2 miler around after con hill, and with them both out, her form line with Stateman is as strong as that division gets?
 
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