Geraghty full of hope for Constitution Hill at Southwell

Constitution Hill’s natural speed has always been the standout attribute, according to Barry Geraghty.

The nine-year-old heads to Southwell on Friday for his first start on the Flat after his jumping struggles came to the fore once again in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in November.

A change of tact from Nicky Henderson means it will be five-time Flat champion jockey Oisin Murphy, and not Nico de Boinville, aboard Constitution Hill as he temporarily pauses his hurdling career.

“Constitution Hill is a very good work horse. He shows so much natural pace at home, he’s not a horse who is reliant on a jump to make him a good horse,” Geraghty, who bought Constitution Hill as foal, told William Hill.

“A mile and a half around Southwell should be right up his street and there’s no better man than Oisin to have in the saddle.

“Judging on what he shows at home, you’d like to think he’ll win and it will take a smart one to come home in front of him over a mile and a half.”

He went on: “It’s great for Constitution Hill to get the chance of a day out. He’s had a troubled time of it for the past two years really, so it’s good for him to get out and hopefully have a nice experience.

“Obviously, you’d like to think he’s going to go and win, but it’s just nice for him to go to a racecourse, soak in the atmosphere, have a race and be competitive.

“You can bring him for a racecourse gallop, which is in a non-competitive environment, but there will be a different energy in Southwell – he’s going to draw a crowd and there’s going to be an atmosphere.

“It’s important to get some of that fizz out of him before a possible trip to Cheltenham. It’s good for the horse more than anything, so it makes a lot of sense for Nicky to have gone this route.”

His fall at Gosforth Park was the third on his last four appearances, the first of which came when he was odds-on favourite to win his second Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last March.

He has been visited by jumping guru Yogi Breisner in a bid to get his hurdling career back on track and improvements could see the Seven Barrows superstar return to Prestbury Park for another shot at the blue riband next month.

“I’m sure his schooling at home will dictate whether he is a Cheltenham runner or he is a Flat runner from here on,” Geraghty added.

“There are good vibes on his schooling – Yogi Breisner has been with him a few times and I believe he’s done really well, so that’s very positive.

“As he gets closer to Cheltenham, I’d imagine his schooling would get sharper pace wise, and if he can come through that with no red flags, you’d love to think that we could be looking at him in the Champion Hurdle in three weeks’ time.”