Nicky Henderson will visit Newbury on Wednesday morning to walk the track and make a decision on Constitution Hill’s involvement in Saturday’s John Porter Stakes.
Constitution Hill Newbury Involvement Dependent On Ground
The 2024 Champion Hurdle winner has been an easy winner of his first two starts on the flat.
And on Monday, Consitution Hill was entered in the John Porter at Newbury this weekend.
After wins at Southwell and Kempton, Nicky Henderson is targeting the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes (formerly known as the John Porter Stakes).
WATCH: Constitution Hill Wins On Flat Debut At Southwell
With potential Newbury rivals including prolific Group 3 scorer Al Aasy and last year’s German Derby runner-up Convergent, Constitution Hill would be set for his toughest race yet.
However, with doubts over the ground, Henderson will walk the track on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s declaration stage.
The Seven Barrows boss was speaking on the matter:
“I’d love to go to Newbury because it’s a lovely track and 1m4f is the perfect distance.
“We’re just trying to get some easier ground. If I trained this fella through the simmer, that is going to be the worry.
“I do have reservations because it’s been a long dry spell and we’re having a lot of trouble on the jumps tracks, but let’s hope we can run. I spoke to Michael (Buckley) and I’ll pop over on Wednesday and have a look to see what the ground is like before declarations on Thursday.
“He needs a third run and some of these horses are rated a lot above him, but I’d still love to see him run well and tell us where we are on turf now, which I would have thought would be a much more suitable surface for him.
The ITV Racing schedule on Saturday will feature multiple races at Newbury – including the John Porter.
Latest John Porter Betting Odds
See the latest betting odds for the John Porter at Newbury.
- Convergent 3/1 (Karl Burke)
- Constitution Hill 7/2 (Nicky Henderson)
- Al Aasy 4/1 (William Haggas)
- Pride Of Arras 4/1 (Ralph Beckett)
- Eydon 6/1 (Andrew Balding)
- Phantom Flight 7/1 (George Scott)
- Lion’s Pride 8/1 (John & Thady Gosden)
- Bellum Justum 16/1 (Andrew Balding)
- Tenability 20/1 (William Haggas)
- Burdett Road 25/1 (James Owen)
As well as the John Porter, Newbury also stages the Fred Darling which could impact the 1000 Guineas betting odds at Newmarket next month.
The Greenham Stakes for colts and geldings may also cause a shift in the 2000 Guineas betting odds ahead of the season’s first Classic at HQ.
