After an anxious wait as the declarations came in on Wednesday morning, Constitution Hill's eagerly-awaited appearance on the Flat will go ahead as planned at Southwell on Friday night.
The £40,000 SBK Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes has been one of racing’s hottest talking points since Nicky Henderson outlined his plan to use the contest as a stopping point en route to a possible tilt at the Champion Hurdle.
However, the race attracted a bumper entry of 32 entries on Saturday and with Constitution Hill not guaranteed a starting place following the balloting process that took place, his fate was left in the hands of others.
After the safety limit of the class two event was lifted to 14, Constitution Hill needed two horses ahead of him in the elimination process not to be declared on Wednesday morning.
Although there may have been some nerves in Lambourn on the countdown to declarations closing at 10am, the nine-year-old was comfortably among the final field after four runners above him in the priority list were not declared.
All eyes will now be on the once unbeatable hurdler as he makes his debut on the level under Oisin Murphy, where he will face some stern opposition from Amo Racing’s recent Dundalk scorer Square Necker among others.
Willie Mullins will saddle Daddy Long Legs, with Ryan Moore taking the ride, while another notable jockey booking is Billy Loughnane aboard Fergal O’Brien’s Grade Two-winning hurdler Tripoli Flyer.
