it is all about the horses.

​We must not get carried away. Constitution Hill was the answer to yesterday’s puzzler of a Christmas Hurdle but it was, I would contend, the hardest race of his life, excepting, perhaps, his point-to-point race. 
Firstly, the horse looked happy, especially down at the start where he gave the impression of being where he wanted to be. Secondly, except for one hurdle when he thought it pertinent to give Nico a wake-up call by taking off from outside the wings, his jumping was as immaculate as we have come to expect. Thirdly, Nico said the horse took a blow between the last two hurdles, so expect vast improvement next time. Next time, I suggest, will be Cheltenham and not Trials Day. What was nice to see was the reception Constitution Hill received from spectators, it was warm and generous and a reminder of what horse racing is truly about – the horses.
I also liked Nico response to Paddy Brennan’s negativity about Constitution Hill and his belief the horse was ‘gone’ and would not beat Lossiemouth either at Kempton or Cheltenham.
Lossiemouth will have another day and I would not right her off. I thought the 7Ib concession and having his first run for 12-months might prove too much for Constitution Hill. I was wrong, happily so.
And I think Burdett Hill should not be written off, either. He is a 4-year-old and horses of that age always struggle when forced by circumstance to take on experienced Grade 1 hurdlers. Yes, it is usually folly to go against any input from Ruby Walsh but I do not think Burdett Road finishing so close to the main two undermines the form necessarily as we might be dealing with a horse sharply on the rise.

Banbridge did what I hoped he would, and Paul Townend rode him slowly-slowly-catchy-monkey as I expected. I did think, as with many others, though, that the French horse was beyond catching as he bounded into the straight. It is hard to imagine a horse capable of winning Grade 1 chases in his homeland over extreme distances could win a 2-Mile Champion Chase but that was what was mooted for Il Est Francois. Ryanair, perhaps, which, I expect would put him in opposition with Banbridge again as I cannot have him as a Gold Cup horse in the year we have Galopin Des Champs and Fact To File.
What has to be said is this: that Joseph O’Brien is some trainer. I joked yesterday that his dad must be green with envy at his son’s achievements. And perhaps Aidan is a little bit as he started as a jumps trainer only to be persuaded away by the lure of Coolmore. Yet his son proves, even with a reduced jumps string, that a trainer can be successful at the top level in both codes. Long may Joseph have a dual-licence.

The Jukebox Man has Gold Cup potential. All he needs is not to suffer ill-luck on the way to 2026. Mind you, the question that should be asked is not how good The Jukebox Man is but how good is Hyland as by determining his ceiling will give as a clue as to how good The Jukebox Man might turn-out to be. Hopefully both horses will run again before March as I am no fan of this ‘keeping a horse fresh nonsense’. Horses are there to run, having them fresh for 3-months entails keeping a lid on their natural exuberance and that, I believe, is chancing to luck every minute of every day leading to the day that determines future.

The three goodies today are Ballyburn versus Sir Gino at Kempton, the Desert Orchid and the Welsh National. Ruby Walsh is seemingly of the opinion that Ballyburn is not a 2-mile horse and if that is correct, with no 20-furlong novice championship chase at the Festival, that will force Willie Mullins into the 3-mile chase. If Ruby’s analysis is correct, Sir Gino is a good thing today.
The Desert Orchid is a better race for being a limited handicap and today’s race looks a cracker. Edwardstown would be the obvious choice if were not for his habit of falling when seemingly travelling well, as he did in the Tingle Creek last time, and he is in touching distance of being considered ‘ageing’. He deserves another a good win but on this occasion I see the race as a dual between two of my favourite jockeys, Charlie Deutch and Bryony Frost. Martator is an improving horse and no one is better at handling horses on the up than Venetia Williams, whereas San Bruit may have reached a peak at Aintree last season when given a ride of grit and determination by a jockey with the skill to get the very best out of good horses. Obviously, I would love to see Bryony prevail in a top-class chase, if only for others to see what the sport in this country is missing, but Venetia’s string are in great form, while several of the Nicholls’ horses are running poorly. Martator is the one.

A Welsh National with the going description soft, good-to-soft in places. And people wring their hands at the warm weather crisis! Only 16-runners, which is disappointing, though 14 have outstanding chances. Dan Skelton had a disappointing time of things yesterday, so perhaps Galia Des Liteaux can put a smile back on his face.