Andy Newton

Constitution Hill set for Italian Group 2 venture as Henderson confirms next race

by
Andy Newton
29 September 2026

Former Champion Hurdle superstar Constitution Hill is set to embark on an international assignment on the Flat, with trainer Nicky Henderson targeting a Group 2 contest in Italy.

Constitution Hill Next Race: Milan’s Gran Premio del Jockey Club

Connections have bypassed options such as the St Simon Stakes at Newbury and Saturday’s Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot – instead pointing the eight-year-old toward Milan on Sunday October 18th.

With £914,995 in total prize money banked, a good run for Constitution Hill in the €506k race will see him top the £1m barrier.

12 months ago, the Andrew Balding-trained Eydon won this Italian race.

Gran Premio del Jockey Club

Race: Gran Premio del Jockey Club (Group 2)
Track: San Siro Racecourse, Milan, Italy
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
Distance / Trip: 2,400 metres (1 mile 4 furlongs)

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Nicky Henderson Said On Constitution Hill’s Italy Trip

“We’re thinking about going to Milan with him. We weren’t going to run him at Ascot this weekend because of the ground, and we think we might get his ground out there for him.

“It’s where Michael [Buckley, owner] and I would like to go. We’ve always said we’d like to travel and that he’d take us to places we might never go. I’ve always said it would be fun and it’s a far better idea than Australia.”

“It’s a Group 2, and with that amount of prize-money on offer, it’s not going to be missed by many. The St Simon Stakes at Newbury is on the same weekend, but Milan is the one we’re going for.” Henderson told the Racing Post

Adding “The only thing with this idea is that it makes me feel a bit of a heel. Everybody’s been so brilliant about him here, and they might think, ‘Oh, they’re going to take him off somewhere else,’ but because everybody’s been so fantastic, he seems to have his disciples, and so we’ll have to take them with us.”

“This doesn’t mean it’s going to be his last race. We have every intention of being back for all sorts of fun things next year – and we’ll be back in the spring, but this needn’t be his last race of this campaign, either.”

He added: “He’s well in himself. This weekend was always likely to get thwarted by the weather, so I hadn’t put him in. I looked at the entries as they were coming in on Monday, and they were all rated quite high, so we’re still very badly in. I’m sure we’ll be badly in wherever we go next, but this is our decision.”

Jump Legend to Flat Campaigner

Constitution Hill established his reputation as one of the most brilliant hurdle horses of modern times, highlighted by his sensational victory in the 2023 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

After a brilliant unbeaten start over obstacles, his jumping career suffered setbacks with falls in major hurdle contests, prompting connections to switch codes and explore a Flat campaign in 2026.

Constitution Hill’s Three Runs on the Flat

1. Southwell (Feb 20, 2026) – 1m 4f Novice Stakes:
Made a striking debut on the All-Weather under Oisin Murphy, dominating the field to win by 9½ lengths.

2. Kempton Park (Mar 25, 2026) – 1m 4f Novice Stakes:
Partnered by Ryan Moore, he showed a decisive turn of foot in a tactical contest to record his second Flat win by two lengths.

3. Kempton Park (Sep 5, 2026) – 1m 4f Group 3 September Stakes:
Stepping up significantly in class for his most recent outing, Constitution Hill finished 4th of 5 runners (beaten 5¾ lengths behind Pride Of Arras) under Billy Loughnane.

Despite fading late in the September Stakes, Constitution Hill posted an improved Flat rating of 109.

With a potential Melbourne Cup trip taken off the table following his Kempton defeat, the Group 2 test in Milan offers the former hurdling king an opportunity to capture a major victory on the Flat.