Constitution Hill has rivals in awe after Nicky Henderson-trained superstar wins the Christmas Hurdle for the THIRD year in a row

Perhaps the best indication of what we had seen in a day through the ages came from one of the jockeys who had finished beaten.

The masses arrive at Kempton Park on Boxing Day hoping to see something special, to be able to go home and tell anyone who will listen that ‘I was there’; Usually hopes are pinned on Ladbrokes king George VI Chase producing another Desert Orchid or Kauto Star.

On this occasion, however, the big three-mile event was relegated to the role of support act. Trained by Joseph O’Brien and superbly ridden by Paul Townend, Banbridge collared flamboyant frontrunner Il Est Francais after the final fence to confirm he was a horse for the upgrade.

But the headlines went to Constitution Hill and no one could argue this was wrong: the most popular horse in training arrived at Sunbury-on-Thames with questions to answer, but left after leaving a large crowd gasping after his electrifying success in the Christmas Hurdle. .

Constitution Hill won this Grade One race for the third consecutive year, beating the exciting mare Lossiemouth, ridden by Townend, by almost three lengths. Back in third place was Burdett Road, along with reigning champion jockey Harry Cobden.

“He’s just a freak,” said Cobden, who couldn’t believe the ease with which Constitution Hill moved past him between the last two flights, after sending out a brutal gallop in an attempt to expose any weaknesses. “He’s just the best of the best.”

The Nicky Henderson-trained horse has won the Grade One-rated Christmas Hurdle three times, flying three lengths past Lossiemouth (right)

The horse hasn’t been able to race for a year, but the win at King George VI Chase Day has made it all worthwhile

He absolutely is: it had been a year since we last saw the Constitution Hill race, the last twelve months had been marked by illness and a few unsatisfactory gallops. It created connections, not least for trainer Nicky Henderson, but it made everything worth it.

When Nico de Boinville let Constitution Hill pass after the field had turned home, there was a kind of cheer that gave goosebumps. Lossiemouth are brilliant and have been expertly trained by Willie Mullins, but she was powerless when her rival’s afterburners kicked in.

“He’s a champion; he is an exceptional horse,” said Michael Buckley, the gelding’s owner, whose confidence was shattered that a big show was on the cards after a gallop at Seven Barrows three weeks ago when Constitution Hill destroyed two top stablemates.

“I can’t believe how many people come up to me and ask how he’s doing, how he’s doing and stuff like that. He is extremely popular. I got a bit tired of some of the things that were written to us, that he was a horse in the relegated. Who knows? Maybe he’s still doing better.’

If that is the case – and there is no reason to doubt that it is not, given he has only raced nine times – then he simply will not be beaten when he runs the Champion Hurdle in March. Bookmakers took evasive action and cut his price for that race to 4/5, but even those odds for the big race seem generous.

Whether Ronnie Bartlett-owned Banbridge will scale these heights remains to be seen, but it will go down as an excellent win over King George and although it was heartbreaking for Il Est Francais, who were at the front for each of the 18 obstacles O “Brien was thrilled.

Banbridge won the showpiece of the day but was overshadowed by the hugely popular horse

Harry Redknapp (second from right) won the opening competition with his horse The Jukebox Man

“It’s a dream to win a King George,” O’Brien said, doing something his father, Aidan, has not been able to do. “It’s very special and I grew up watching these kinds of races. Paul gave him a great ride and I feel a little for JJ [Slevin]who has a connection with the horse, but had obligations in Ireland.’

It says everything about how imposing Constitution Hill was on the day that Harry Redknapp played a small role after his The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling, ran away with the first Grade One event, the Kauto Star Novices Chase.

“Hopefully we’ll go to Cheltenham in March,” beamed Redknapp. ‘I had to stand on my chair and watch it, I didn’t want anyone around me. But that was so exciting. He has had sore heels the past few days, but he has done very well. He’s the best horse I’ve ever had. What a day.’

And those words were completely justified. What a day indeed.