Constitution Hill falls again in dramatic Grand National race as condition update given | Other | Sport

Constitution Hill suffered another fall during the dramatic Aintree Hurdle as Lossiemouth stormed to victory at the Grand National. On his last start in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, the then-unbeaten horse, considered one of the best jumpers the sport has ever seen, fell with four hurdles to go.

He arrived at Aintree as the narrow favourite to win the Aintree Hurdle ahead of Lossiemouth, but his risky late jumps dominated the build-up. And jockey Nico De Boinville was sent tumbling to the turf again after hitting the hurdle on the second to last jump, having been forced to move into the middle. Paul Townend and Lossiemouth profited to take a clear victory ahead of Wodhooh and Take No Chances, but concern about Constitution Hill shrowded the triumph.

However, the ITV commentary team instantly confirmed that Constitution Hill was “perfectly okay” as he galloped away from the scene as the race concluded.

The legendary hurdler, with eight Grade 1 victories to his name, was travelling and jumping expertly before the worrying incident.

After the race, trainer Nicky Henderson suggested that he should still feature at Punchestown at the end of April, but there are likely conversations to be had over his involvement.

Henderson looked visibly devastated in the aftermath as he spoke with ITV, branding Constitution Hill’s second successive fall as unbelievable.

He said: “You couldn’t believe it, really. I mean, he is genuinely the best jumper you’ll ever see, but he’s in that vocabulary.

“There is just this one, you know, you’d have called it a one per cent chance of doing what he’s done, but he’s done it twice, which does worry you. Of course, it does.

“But how can you round it out? We’d done everything; he’d been fantastic the whole way. He was being short. He did a couple of hurdles that I could see, and I haven’t seen it properly at all.

“Where he went in short, I just said that a year ago, we’d have gone, ‘wow, and away we go’. He was good, and he was shortening up.

“And that’s what we’ve been trying to get him to do but when you’re three out and racing like that, then you can’t afford to do that. You’ve got to go. He just came up too soon.”

Constitution Hill should be in action again soon, with Henderson adding: “I’d personally say we’ll still go to Punchestown.”