Constitution Hill’s jockey apologises to punters after winning Champion Hurdle by NINE lengths
Champion Hurdle #ChampionHurdle
CONSTITUTION HILL’S jockey Nico de Boinville apologised to punters after winning the Champion Hurdle by NINE lengths.
Nicky Henderson’s stable star was astonishing in the big race on the first day of Cheltenham Festival.
But not everyone was cheering the horse’s runaway win at amazingly short odds of 4-11.
A load of punters had backed Constitution Hill to win by ten lengths or more at odds ranging from 2-1 to 3-1.
Bearing in mind the horse had won every single of his five previous races by 12 lengths or more, it appeared a really good price.
And it looked like coming in as Constitution Hill powered round the home bend, switched on the turbo and left runner-up State Man trailing in his wake.
But like when he won the Supreme last year, De Boinville started celebrating yards before the post.
That meant the horse slowed down approaching the line – narrowing the distance he was in front.
Most read in Horse Racing
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
And the official margin of victory was given as nine lengths, depriving punters of a payout on their bets.
De Boinville told Sun Racing’s Matt Chapman after victory: “He’s won hard held – and anyone who’s backed him for ten lengths or more – I apologise!”
One punter wrote in response: “If I had Constitution Hill by 10 lengths, I’d be demanding the tape measure was coming out after that run!”
State Man finished a distant second after being sent off 7-2 while Zanahiyr completed the places at monster odds of 66-1.
Constitution Hill was immediately installed as the 4-7 fav for next year’s Champion Hurdle.
But he looked like he could go round again after winning the top two-mile race for hurdlers.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Bet UK: Bet £20 and get £60 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Tote: Bet £10 get £40 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 50/1 Energumene or 50/1 Edwardstone to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
Bet UK: New customers opt in and stake £20+ on any sporting event at odds of 1.8 or greater before 17:30 17/03/23. Free bets non-withdrawable and 7 day expiry. Qualifying bet restrictions, exclusions and full T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org.
Sky Bet: NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. £10 MINIMUM STAKE. ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 4 X £10 HORSE RACING BET TOKEN. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS FOR HORSE RACING ONLY. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Tote: New customers, online only. Place your first bet on racing pools, minimum £/€10, to receive £/€40 Tote Credit. £/€20 redeemable against win/place racing bets only and £/€20 redeemable against exotics bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet slip. Full T&Cs and exclusions apply. 18+. BeGambleaware.org.
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. New customers using EP50ENE or EP50EDW. Applies to bets placed from 9:00 on 7 March 2023 until 15:30 on 15 March 2023. £1 must be staked on Energumene to win at 50/1 or Edwardstone to win at 50/1. Returns paid as 2 x £25 or 2 x £25 in free bets (30 day expiry). Player & currency restrictions & terms apply. #ad Begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
And surely a career over fences – and possibly a spin at the Gold Cup – beckons in the future.
Speaking of what the win meant to him, De Boinville said: “What a horse!
“He’s come up out of my hand, he had loads left and he’s given me a terrific spin round.
“On a personal level, it’s been a dream of mine to get the big three (Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup) and I’m delighted to achieve it.”
Quizzed on a future over fences and going for the Gold Cup, De Boinville said: “I love having Michael Buckley as an owner, he’s a maverick character.
“I know for sure the guvnor (Nicky Henderson) will be up for it as well.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
A responsible gambler is someone who: