Constitution Hill Makes Flat Debut at Southwell

Constitution Hill, the celebrated champion hurdler, is set to make his Flat racing debut on Friday evening at Southwell Racecourse in Nottinghamshire, marking a significant step in his preparation for a potential return to the Cheltenham Festival. The nine-year-old gelding, trained by Nicky Henderson, will compete in the SBK Road to Cheltenham Novice Stakes, a Class 2 contest over one mile and four furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta surface, with the main event scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The race headlines Southwell's Friday Night Live fixture, which features nine races starting at 4:26 p.m. and promises a festival-like atmosphere with live coverage on ITV4 and streaming available for free via the ITVX app. Sky Sports Racing will also broadcast the action. With a total prize fund of £40,000, the winner stands to earn £21,600, followed by £10,140 for second place and £5,072 for third. Constitution Hill enters as the clear favorite at odds of 7/4 with Ladbrokes, ridden by champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy, who replaces the horse's usual partner, Nico de Boinville.

Henderson's decision to enter Constitution Hill in this novice stakes stems from the horse's recent struggles over...