It is said that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but in certain fields I would suggest that not everyone’s opinion carries the same weight.
For example, the majority of media pundits have never ridden a racehorse, let alone a race, yet they pontificate with authority about how well a horse moves.
Yet this is an opinion they base more on the body language of the jockey than on the horse. For example, Ruby Walsh’s calm riding style gave the impression that his horse was riding comfortably, but that was not always the case. The same comment could apply to Jamie Spencer at the flat.
It takes an insight honed through experience to discern how well a horse is actually moving…its head position, alternating legs, gait and other cues.
Well, I believe the same line of thinking applies to the current drama…and that’s not too strong a word…about Constitution Hill.
I have an opinion on that, but as someone who fell off the only time I rode a thoroughbred, I suggest it should carry minimal weight.
Still, I’ll share it.
In short, Ronnie O’Sullivan attributed recent poor form to his failure to acquire the basics of snooker in his early years due to his natural talent. I was told something similar about the cricketer Ted Dexter, former Sussex and England captain. They both thought the game was too easy.
I wrote an email to Nicky Henderson in the spring asking if this might apply to Constitution Hill. Not that the Seven Barrows team was negligent in their training routine, but that the horse may never have had to mentally focus on the rudiments of jumping because it came so naturally to him.
This brilliant hurdler actually took a few chances before his Champion Hurdle fell… most notably the final flight of the International Hurdle in January.
The best hurdlers fly over the top of the hurdles… Istabraq fell twice towards the end of his career… but in the case of Constitution Hill we also have to take into account his lackluster performance at Punchestown in May.
The game these days is as much about public perception as it is about reality, and I would be very surprised if the trainer and owner did not put the welfare of the horse and the din that would result from another accident, or a more serious outcome, first.
I’ve been told that horses are sometimes never the same after a bout of colic, which can be excruciatingly painful and leaves a lasting impression. Since that procedure in March 2024 and his wind surgery, he didn’t need to be at his best to win at Kempton and Cheltenham and then the three falls and Punchestown.
The decision about his future may have already been made by the time you read this, but with an industry that only seems to enter the consciousness of the general public during times of drama or perceived malpractice, the risks of asking this horse to publicly jump over another obstacle far outweigh the benefits.
Goodbye for now
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