Constitution Hill falls again at Grand National festival as Lossiemouth triumphs | Constitution Hill

It is less than a month since Constitution Hill cantered to post before the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, unbeaten in 10 starts and a red-hot favourite to regain the hurdling crown, but it felt like a different age on Thursday as Nicky Henderson’s stable star crashed out of a Grade One hurdle for the second time in 23 days.

A second successive “F” at the end of Constitution Hill’s form line leaves Henderson with some thinking to do and Nico de Boinville, his rider, to ponder a ride in the Aintree Hurdle that arguably started to unravel on the turn for home. Constitution Hill went into the bend in third place, with Lossiemouth, his main market rival and the eventual winner, in fifth, but emerged moments later in a pocket as Paul Townend, Lossiemouth’s rider, took the chance to move forward and keep Constitution Hill in a pocket.

Constitution Hill was suddenly on the back foot, and De Boinville had to respond as Townend moved towards the lead on the run to the second last. His partner, though, came up at least half a stride too soon, clipped the hurdle and tumbled to the turf in much the same way that he had at Cheltenham last month.

If a horse decides to jump before its rider has asked the question, there is only so much that a jockey can do. At the same time, though, Constitution Hill was under more pressure at the second-last than might have been the case had he enjoyed a clearer passage around the final turn.

“To do it twice, you couldn’t believe it really,” Henderson said afterwards. “He is genuinely the best jumper you’ll ever see. But in that vocabulary, there’s just that one per cent chance of doing what he’s done, and he’s done it twice. It does worry you, of course it does, but how can you iron it out?

“Today he’d been fantastic the whole way. At a couple of hurdles when he needed to, he was shortening up and that’s what we’ve been trying to get him to do, but when you are racing like that three out you can’t afford to do that, you’ve got to go, and maybe he came up too soon.”

Constitution Hill galloped away from his latest fall and Henderson will now consider whether to give him a final run of the season at Punchestown later this month.

Constitution Hill’s fall should not detract from the gritty performance of Lossiemouth, who completed a Grade One four-timer for Willie Mullins on the day, and a treble for Townend, just 23 days after winning the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

“I was disappointed that Constitution Hill fell,” Mullins said. “I’m disappointed for Michael [Buckley], for connections, Nicky and Nico, and disappointed for racing as well. We came here with our mare in good shape, and we thought the trip would suit us on the day. We never got to find out, really.

“Nico has a great habit of looking under pressure and then finding a bit in the last furlong, so oftentimes you think you have Nico beaten and he has a little bit up his sleeve. I wondered at the time, had Paul played the card too early? But it was gifted to him and what can you do?”

Not one of Mullins’s four winners on the day set off as the favourite, with Impaire Et Passe (9-4), Murcia (11-4) and Gaelic Warrior (11-4) combining with Lossiemouth for a 102-1 four-timer.

In addition to making his backers very happy, Mullins’s exceptional start to the meeting also puts the race for the National Hunt trainers’ championship back into play.

The defending champion – who was the first winner based in Ireland for 70 years when he took the title last year – was around £1.3m behind the clear leader, Dan Skelton, before racing on Thursday but added £400k to his total during the afternoon.

Skelton, who was also a clear leader in the race last year before Mullins reeled him in in the spring, was one of the first to congratulate his title rival after Lossiemouth’s success. “He said well done,” Mullins said afterwards. “And that’s enough.”

Blue can lord it over rivals

Willie Mullins was off to a flying start at this year’s Grand National meeting on Thursday with a treble in the first three races and the reigning champion trainer over jumps, who is still priced at around 7-1 to retain his title, has the top three in the early betting for the Topham Handicap Chase over the Grand National fences on Friday.

Mullins’s James Du Berlais was pipped at the post in the race last year, when he slowed almost to a walk with the line in sight and went down by a length. He is back for another crack at the £84k prize this year, but Paul Townend, Mullins’s stable jockey, has opted instead to ride the classy Blue Lord, whose 14 starts over fences to date have mostly been in Grade One events and will be making his handicap debut on Friday.

Blue Lord (4.05) has three Grade One wins to his name from 10 attempts and while he has not seriously threatened to add a fourth over the last couple of seasons, an opening mark of 152 looks more than fair and he showed he is still able to mix it with the best when third in the Ascot Chase in February.

Aintree 1.45 The return to three miles could well see further improvement from Handstands, who beat the subsequent Arkle winner, Jango Baie, at Sandown in February and has been kept fresh for this since.

Aintree 2.20 Spring weather and ground brought the best out of Tintintin last year, when he completed a quick double in March and April, and he looked to be running back into form when less than a length behind the winner in the Imperial Cup at Sandown.

Aintree 2.55 Romeo Coolio’s run into third in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham last month is the best form on offer for all that the current form of the Gordon Elliott yard is something of a concern.

Aintree 3.30 He came up short yet again at Cheltenham, but Jonbon is generally as reliable as they come and has far fewer questions to answer than his old foe, El Fabiolo.

Aintree 4.40 The only blemish on Mister Meggit’s record came in a bumper at this meeting last year when he had no luck at all in running, and his hurdling debut, at the November meeting here, was hugely impressive.