Gordon Elliott is eager to let Irish Point take his chance in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after Constitution Hill was ruled out.

The trainer was planning to run the grey in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle after a taking performance in the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle over nearly three miles just after Christmas.

Constitution Hill was at the head of the Champion Hurdle market following a dominant display last year and Elliott was therefore going to avoid that contest and tap into Irish Point’s stamina in the Stayers’ Hurdle instead.

However, confirmation that Constitution Hill will not make the Cheltenham Festival came on Monday, leaving Elliott to rethink his decision and consider taking on the Willie Mullins-trained State Man, who is the new odds-on favourite for the Champion Hurdle.

“I’m keen to run him,” Elliott told Racing TV.

“State Man is going to be very hard to beat, but I’d prefer to take him on around Cheltenham rather than going round Punchestown or Leopardstown.

“He’s the horse everyone has to beat and he looks a good thing, but I’d like to take him on with Irish Point.

“We’re going to be second favourite if Lossiemouth doesn’t run, I’ll have a chat with Brian (Acheson of owners Robcour) in the morning and we’ll go through the horses, but I’d be keen to run him.

“He’s a classy horse, I think he’ll run a big race. The track will suit him and the ground, being a bit soft, I think will suit him.

“The favourite’s going to be very hard to beat but you should never be afraid of one horse. He hasn’t many miles on the clock and I think the race could suit him, I’m keen to run him.”

Elliott has his own woes with Festival hope Firm Footings out for the remainder of the season and was able to empathise with Nicky Henderson in the disappointment felt when a horse misses the meeting.

He said: “It’s heartbreaking, this time of year, for owners and the staff in the yards. Nicky is going to feel a lot worse than I am, he had the favourite for the Champion Hurdle.”

Constitution Hill’s Cheltenham Festival absence has left bookmakers fearing an avalanche of cash on State Man, with Willie Mullins’ star two-mile hurdler now the overwhelming Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite.

Nicky Henderson’s defending champion obliged as the 4-11 favourite on the opening day of the Festival 12 months ago and was expected to do the double – especially after showing his well-being at Kempton on Boxing Day in the Christmas Hurdle.

However, it was a different tale when next sighted at the Sunbury venue, where a disappointing gallop kick-started a chain of events that has seen State Man ultimately promoted to big-race favourite on the news the Seven Barrows superstar will be missing from the action in the Cotswolds.

BoyleSports are expecting State Man to also take Constitution Hill’s place as the cornerstone of many punters’ multiples for the Festival, describing the 10-time winner as the ‘Irish banker’ of the week.

“It looks like State Man will be the Irish banker for this year’s Cheltenham Festival,” said BoyleSports spokesman Brian O’Keeffe.

“He is now the shortest-priced favourite over the four days of the meeting after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Champion Hurdle by Seven Barrows.

“State Man isn’t a bad result quite yet, Constitution Hill had him well covered last year and most punters weren’t expecting anything different this year.

“We are expecting momentum and liabilities to start building behind him now pretty rapidly, especially if Ballyburn goes for the Supreme, as punters will likely latch onto the short-priced Willie Mullins treble on Tuesday, with Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle.

“It could be a long week for us if Tuesday doesn’t go our way and we imagine that State Man will be an accumulator maker or breaker for a lot of people across the four days.”

The only time State Man has tasted defeat in his last 11 runs was at the hands of Constitution Hill in last year’s Champion Hurdle and bookmakers are now in no rush to take him on.

Paddy Power are one of the firms taking no risks by installing him as their 1-3 market leader – one of the shortest-priced favourites of the whole week.

“It is desperately disappointing news for racing fans who wanted to see possibly the greatest hurdler of our lifetimes at Cheltenham,” said Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield.

“Hopefully we will see him back to his brilliant best sooner rather than later, but in the meantime State Man has taken his place at the front of the market as a very short-priced favourite and he now looks the one to beat – he has proven he is the best hurdler around bar one for the last couple of seasons.

“If there is any good news from today, then at least Paddy Power have been ‘Non Runner Money Back’ on the Champion Hurdle for quite a while, so at least punters will get their hard-earned cash back if they have backed Constitution Hill.”

Many layers are hoping something will emerge from the periphery to take on State Man, with Sam Boswell of BetVictor eager to see fellow Irish raiders Irish Point and Lossiemouth rerouted to the Champion Hurdle picture.

He said: “It is never nice to see racing lose one of its star attractions just days out from the Cheltenham Festival.
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“The story of the Champion Hurdle now is not too dissimilar, with the fact we have a new but still very short-priced favourite in State Man from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard.

“It would be nice to see the race have either stablemate and star mare Lossiemouth or Gordon Elliott’s Irish Point take their chance to make the showpiece on the Tuesday less processional.”

William Knight has the Al Quoz Sprint in mind for his promising filly Frost At Dawn.

The three-year-old is by Frosted and was homebred by her owner, Abdulla Al Mansoori.

She acquitted herself well in two British starts on the all-weather last year before heading to Meydan, where she was placed over both six and seven furlongs before successfully stepping down to five furlongs in the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Saturday.

A 33-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona, the filly was drawn in stall three and made straight for the rail to lead from the outset.

From there she flew home, prevailing by two and a half lengths and breaking the Meydan track record over the minimum trip in the process.

“It was a very nice performance and the time was very good,” said Knight.

“She keeps on surprising me, we went out there thinking we were going to run in the UAE Guineas and we’ve ended up winning a Group Three over five furlongs.”

The Al Quoz Sprint, a Group One contest run on Dubai World Cup night, is the next port of call for a step back up to six furlongs that Knight expects to cause no issues.

“It’s fantastic and all roads lead back to the Al Quoz Sprint, I think she’s versatile and Mickael thought she could potentially be better over six,” he said.

“She was great over five and she’s got the track record but she could prove to be quite versatile.”

From there, the grey is likely to travel again for a domestic turf campaign – and if that proves a success, the Breeders’ Cup may come into focus later on in the year.

Knight said: “We’ll see how she comes out of the Al Quoz and take each race as it comes, but I’d like to think we could be competing in the big races throughout the summer and that would be great.

“If she can continue in this sort of form, then the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar could be something we aim for at the end of the season.

“She’ll need to have a freshen up when she comes back from Dubai, but for the owner to have a runner on World Cup night, and a homebred at that, would be very special.”

Hughie Morrison has expressed his disappointment after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Unibet Champion Hurdle, despite his absence elevating Not So Sleepy to become the leading British contender for the Cheltenham Festival’s opening day feature.

Hopes of National Hunt’s flagship horse making the start line were dashed on Monday when Nicky Henderson announced blood test results showed the defending champion had not recovered sufficiently enough from a respiratory infection to line up in the Cotswolds.

That leaves the 12-year-old Not So Sleepy to fly the flag for the home team as he makes his fifth appearance in the Champion Hurdle – having previously finished no better than fifth.

He heads to Prestbury Park in rude health, having claimed the rearranged Fighting Fifth when last sighted.

But far from seeing Constitution Hill’s absence as a positive in Not So Sleepy’s claims for big-race glory, Morrison is regretful that the Seven Barrows superstar will be sitting on the sidelines during the biggest week of the season.

“I’m actually quite disappointed Constitution Hill is not turning up,” said Morrison.

“I don’t think I should be excited really and I’m quite disappointed. At the end of the day, we want the best to be there and the best probably isn’t going to be there. We would have liked to have taken him on – you always want to take on the best.

“Let’s hope we now get there in one piece.”

With Constitution Hill out of the picture and State Man now the heavy odds-on favourite with the layers, it is Not So Sleepy who is the shortest-priced British-trained Champion Hurdle contender, with the veteran a 14-1 chance with Paddy Power.

However, Morrison is still processing his charge’s position in the reformed market and is more worried about seeing some rain appear in the weather forecasts ahead of his big date on Tuesday week.

“I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but I’m just delighted to have something with good reason to be going there really,” said Morrison, when asked about the responsibility of being Britain’s number one hope.

“On his day, he’s a really good horse and he deserves to be there – on a good day, he should be in the money. Over the years, he has run four times in the Champion Hurdle and has run reasonably well, but I’ve always thought I could have had him better.

“We are there to do our best and we’re slightly concerned about the weather forecast looking dry all week, but hopefully the rain will reappear at the weekend for us.

“Racehorses always give you sleepless nights, especially when they are 12 and they have got a few miles on the clock. There is always something creeping round the corner, as Nicky Henderson knows.

“Hopefully we can get him there in good nick but I would like a bit of rain to give us a chance.”

Premier Novices’ Hurdle third Cannock Park will skip high-profile options at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting in favour of teeing-up a shot at a valuable event on Sandown’s end-of-season card.

Paul Robson’s six-year-old was third in Grade One company at Aintree on Boxing Day, having won at Cheltenham on his hurdling debut, and again picked up a bronze medal at Kelso in further graded action on Saturday.

He finished just two lengths adrift of the winner Personal Ambition and his handler was delighted to see him also bridge the gap with Formby Hurdle conqueror Jango Baie, who filled the runner-up spot in the Scottish Borders.

Cannock Park holds an entry in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while a return to Grade One action at Liverpool in the spring was also mooted as an option moving forward.

However, Robson intends to send his charge to Bangor before finishing the season in the £100,000 bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on April 27.

Robson said: “He made up 14 lengths on Jango Baie at Kelso, which I was absolutely thrilled about, and it was over a trip I thought might be a little bit far for him, but he looked like he stayed it out fine.

“He’s come out of his race absolutely fine, but I’m not going to take him to Cheltenham or Aintree. I’m going to take him to Bangor on March 23 – there is a £30,000 class two race there – and then it will be straight to Sandown for the £100,000 final on the last day of the year (season).

“We’ll take him to Bangor in three weeks and then he’ll have five weeks between those two races.”

Cannock Park has excelled for Robson this season, flying the flag for the former jockey, who now combines training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.

However, the gelding’s future lies over fences, with the handler already eyeing next season’s novice chase campaign.

“He’s definitely next season’s chaser and he jumped absolutely faultless at Kelso,” continued Robson.

“If anything, he maybe just gave them a little bit too much height, but I’m thrilled with him and the horse has run another absolute blinder. I’ve ridden him myself this morning and he was bouncing.”

Nicky Henderson finally admitted defeat in his race to get Constitution Hill to the Cheltenham Festival on Monday after further blood tests indicated his star performer had not recovered sufficiently from the respiratory infection discovered last week.

Here, we look at a timeline of how the events unfolded:

February 27: Reports of Constitution Hill being eased down during a racecourse gallop at Kempton began to surface and bookmakers were quick to suspend betting on the Champion Hurdle.

February 27: Henderson quickly admitted the poor workout came “as a bit of a shock” and that Constitution Hill had subsequently scoped badly, but insisted he would not give up hope of making it to Cheltenham.

“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.”

February 27: Henderson then elaborated on the dramatic morning of events and initial medical tests.

He posted on X: “The sample from his tracheal wash has shown a small increase in the number of neutrophils which indicates a respiratory infection, which is significant but far from drastic.

“He will start a course of antibiotics immediately and we plan to rescope him on Friday in order to monitor which way this is going. He would only be having light exercise this week following this morning’s racecourse gallop.

“Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly.

“He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”

February 28: Henderson issued an upbeat bulletin, stating on X: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.

“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.”

He added: “Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”

February 29: In a morning interview at Seven Barrows, Henderson described his superstar as “alert and bright”, as he walked a line between giving the gelding adequate recovery time, while trying not to lose too much of his fitness edge.

“He can’t stay in his box, if we’ve got any pretentions of running in the Champion Hurdle, you can’t just knock it off and tuck him in bed,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.

“We’ve got to find the right balance between keeping him moving but not stressing him in any way at all.”

February 29: Henderson later received the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill and admitted they were “probably not what we were hoping for”.

In an update posted on X, he said: “The result of the blood test taken this morning goes quite a long way to explaining his disappointing performance at Kempton on Tuesday and confirms that he has a significant degree of inflammation.

“The figures themselves suggest he is definitely under the weather and we will need to repeat the test again on Monday in the hope that the situation improves.

“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”

March 1: Some positive news among the gloom, as Henderson says: “On what was about as foul and filthy morning as you can imagine at Seven Barrows, Constitution Hill had a light exercise and was rescoped afterwards as planned. This showed the neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident.

“This is obviously positive news but we cannot hide behind yesterday’s blood test which basically reveals that, in simple terms, our horse is ‘unwell’.”

March 2: Henderson was on a rare visit to Kelso, where speaking about Constitution Hill he affirmed: “The blood test on Monday will tell us everything and we will know where we are after that.

“If we don’t get the results we want on Monday, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it will be the end of the season. Let’s just cross each bridge when we come across it.

“When you train horses, you are going to walk into these situations and you’ve got to face up to it.”

March 4: The eagerly-awaited blood test results confirmed Henderson’s worst fears, with a title defence ruled out for Constitution Hill.

Henderson posted on X: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.

“He has undoubtedly improved over the weekend and seems noticeably brighter than he was at the end of last week and I really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.

“Unfortunately, the all-important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.

“This is very sad for all of us and particularly Michael (Buckley, owner) but it is in everybody’s best interests that we ensure we have a fit and healthy Constitution Hill to win back his crown next year.”

Constitution Hill will not run at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.

The unbeaten and defending Champion Hurdle hero worked poorly at Kempton Park last Tuesday, putting his participation at the showpiece meeting in major doubt.

A scope showed mucus in his lungs and despite slightly more positive news in the following days, results of a blood test on Thursday proved to be another blow.

He was scoped again on Friday morning, with Henderson saying that “showed the Neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident”.

However, he stressed another blood test on Monday would probably prove to be the “acid test”, and on receiving the results he posted on his official X account: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.”

This year’s National Hunt Chase will be run in honour of the late Maureen Mullins on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Mullins, who died aged 94 on February 14, was the matriarch of one of the most successful and well-known families in the sport.

A winning rider, owner and breeder in her own right, she was the wife of Paddy, the trainer of the great Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup-winning mare Dawn Run.

The couple had five children, among them trainers Tom, Tony and Willie – the latter now Ireland’s leading National Hunt handler and a huge presence at the Cheltenham Festival.

Her grandsons Danny, Emmet and Patrick have all ridden winners at the Festival, with Patrick taking first place in the National Hunt Chase four times for his father Willie, making him the contest’s leading jockey.

The Jockey Club’s Ian Renton said: “The National Hunt Chase has a long tradition of commemorating some of Jump racing’s most famous names and we are delighted that the Mullins family has agreed to have the historic contest run in honour of Maureen Mullins in 2024.

“A true stalwart of Jump racing, Maureen Mullins was a regular visitor to the Festival and her sad passing last month leaves a big void. We hope that putting her name to the National Hunt Chase celebrates her tremendous legacy in the appropriate way.”

Willie Mullins said: “Our family are delighted and honoured to have a race named after our mother Maureen, who had a great affinity for Cheltenham and enjoyed every moment there.”

Tony Mullins added: “Undoubtedly the correct race for a great stayer.”

The Racehorse Trainers Benevolent Fund will look to build on its encouraging early efforts after securing the backing of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust.

During a six-month pilot scheme offering mental health support to licensed trainers in Britain, over 50 initial interactions led to 23 in-depth follow-up conversations.

The Trainer Support Network, a team of four knowledgeable and empathetic people who are out in the racing community, helped trainers to manage emotional and psychological issues.

RTBF chair Rupert Arnold said: “The indications are that demand will continue to grow as awareness of the support network spreads and willingness to open up to one of the providers increases.

“We are extremely grateful to the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust for providing financial assistance to help us reach more trainers needing this type of support.”

Former Group One-winning handler Harry Dunlop, a trustee of the RTBF, added: “The pilot has endorsed our approach of recruiting trusted, familiar and knowledgeable people to be visible and available in the places where trainers work.

“The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust has been a great friend to the training community in the past. Their three-year funding of the Trainer Support Network is another example, which we are thrilled to receive.”

On behalf of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust, Nigel Payne said: “We have been very active in our support for jockeys and their mental health and when we were approached to give support to the RTBF, we felt it entirely appropriate to support trainers too. We are convinced that this is something Sir Peter would have wanted.”