Constitution Hill “in terrific shape” and Scott “really happy” with Golden Ace ahead of potential Boodles Champion Hurdle for the ages

BOODLES CHAMPION HURDLE
(Friday, May 3rd – 14 entries)

The last three Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winners are being aimed at the Friday feature: current titleholder Golden Ace, her predecessor State Man and the 2023 victor, Constitution Hill.

State Man, trained by Willie Mullins, would be attempting a three-in-a-row last achieved by another former Closutton inmate, the legendary Hurricane Fly in 2012. The Fly went on to make it four in 2013. State Man fell at the last when seeming certain to retain his crown at Cheltenham in March.

Also entered are State Man’s stablemate, the Aintree Hurdle and Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle victor Lossiemouth, and the Gordon Elliott-trained Brighterdaysahead, the 30-length winner of the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, when State Man failed to fire. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned mare would be on a recovery mission having run well below par when fourth at Cheltenham last month.

Constitution Hill’s trainer, Nicky Henderson, reports Michael Buckley’s gelding to be showing no ill effects from his fall in the Aintree Hurdle, which came hot on the heels of also coming a cropper in Cheltenham. A first visit to Punchestown is very much on the cards.

“It is our intention to come to Punchestown,” says Henderson, who is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure at the festival. “It was my original plan after Cheltenham and then, he was so well, I couldn’t say no to Aintree. Thankfully, I think he’s come out of that very well and we’ve got four weeks to Punchestown. It was only three weeks from Cheltenham to Aintree.

“And don’t forget, in neither race (at Cheltenham nor Aintree) has he actually had a race. He is very fresh at the moment. He’s as fresh as paint here. He’s in terrific shape.

“It’s a long way to go and I can’t tell you anything else at the moment but we think he’s in good nick and all being well, we will be in Punchestown. We are looking forward to going.

“It’s meant to be a great clash of two great horses – State Man and Constitution Hill – and they deserve to have a head-to-head. And we may have more if Lossiemouth, Golden Ace and Brighterdaysahead are there.

“I think everyone has been talking about State Man and Constitution Hill and want to find out what happens if they turn into the straight together. Wow! That’s what it’s all about. It would be fantastic. Everybody deserves it and we would love to have that in Punchestown.”

What can be certain is that should Constitution Hill prevail, he would receive a champion’s ovation, just as Sprinter Sacre received when defeating home favourite Sizing Europe in the William Hill Champion Chase in 2013.

It was a day that rubber-stamped the Seven Barrows maestro’s love affair with Punchestown and Ireland.

“The day we brought Sprinter over will be in my memory forever because of the reception that the Punchestown and Irish crowd gave him. And I mean that. He was a French-bred horse, trained in England and the reception was incredible, before and after the race. And it meant a lot to me.”

Golden Ace was the chief beneficiary at Cheltenham after the falls of Constitution Hill and State Man. Trainer Jeremy Scott admits that fortune shone on the talented mare owned by Ian Gosden and is looking forward to her getting perhaps more credit by performing well in a stacked field in the Boodles Champion Hurdle.

“She came out of Cheltenham very, very well,” Scott reveals. “I’m really happy with her and am looking forward to coming over. We have never managed to have a winner at Punchestown – we’ve had several seconds – and we love the whole experience. It’s really good fun.

“We were probably a very lucky winner of the Champion Hurdle, so in terms of pressure, I’m not sure we’re feeling a huge amount because we achieved more than we were expecting to this season anyway. So this Punchestown trip is a bonus, if she runs well, and I hope she will.

“Also, it took away from the win a bit the fact that Constitution Hill and State Man both fell. If we’d finished an honourable second to State Man, you’d have nearly felt better in many ways. I loved winning the race, of course, but I’m not sure we proved anything. So it would be nice to come out and prove that maybe, it wasn’t entirely luck.

“To be involved in a race of this nature, if everyone turns up, is a pleasure. That’s why we all train horses, isn’t it? Because we want to be able to compete at that level. I think that division is particularly strong at the moment as well, so it’s nice to be part of it.”

Wednesday 28^th February 2024 – Punchestown racecourse are delighted to announce a new three-year sponsorship of the Grade 1 Boodles Champion Hurdle at the renowned Punchestown Festival, marking a significant partnership within the realm of Irish racing.

The feature race of Boodles Day, Friday 3^rd May, is the prestigious Grade 1 €300,000 Boodles Champion Hurdle. The 2024 Boodles Champion Hurdle has the potential to be the race of the season should reigning champion hurdler, Constitution Hill make the journey across the sea to take on Irish favourite and current Punchestown festival Champion,  State Man on home turf. The pair will hopefully meet once again at Cheltenham in less than two weeks should Constitution Hill return to full fitness ahead of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The Punchestown Festival stands as a pinnacle event on the Irish sporting and social calendar, hailed for its five days of top-tier racing featuring the finest Irish and British talent. The sponsorship is perfectly timed with it being Boodles 20th year of having a presence on Grafton Street in Dublin. Boodles sponsorship of Irish racing is a natural extension into the heart of the sport, from its many ongoing sponsorships of British racing events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Chester Races and York Races.

The partnership between Boodles and Punchestown is a three-year sponsorship and is fittingly timed as Boodles recently launched their first ever equine inspired jewellery collection ‘Lucky’, which will be on display throughout Punchestown Festival in the Boodles Bar. As the final event in the Irish jump racing calendar, Punchestown is widely acclaimed as the ultimate homecoming for champions, making it one of Boodles most exciting partnerships to date.

Our involvement with horse racing in the UK started all the way back in the 1930’s when we made the trophies for the Grand National at Aintree. We feel privileged to have been invited into the Irish racing world and to be sponsoring such a prominent race at Punchestown almost 100 years later. We are excited to think that ‘The Boodles Bar’, in the centre of the hospitality area, will have a great buzz about it throughout the festival. We are also delighted to continue our association with Rachael Blackmore who will be attending Boodles Punchestown Launch event in our Grafton Street Showroom.”  James Amos, Managing Director of Boodles

Conor O’Neill, CEO of Punchestown, expressed his delight at the collaboration, emphasising the shared appreciation for heritage and brand integrity – “It goes without saying that we are so pleased to welcome Boodles to the Punchestown Festival. The Boodles Champion Hurdle is a fittingly prestigious race for a brand such as Boodles who are Britain’s leading fine jeweller since 1798. We often remark that it is the people that make Punchestown, so to partner with a family run, award winning luxury brand whose team truly appreciate the importance of heritage and brand values is a wonderful privilege”.

The Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 30^th April to Saturday 4^th May. Boodles Day coincides with Ladies Day on Friday 3^rd May. Punchestown will roll out a range of changes for the 2024 renewal including reduced ticket prices, refreshed layout features, earlier start times on the first two days and enhanced public amenities. For full range of tickets, hospitality and event details please visit www.punchestown.com

**ENDS**

About Boodles

Since 1798, Boodles has represented the epitome of fine British jewellery. Still a privately-owned family business, Boodles stands for the very best in creative design; the highest quality diamonds and gemstones; and the fusion of traditional craft skills with innovation. Every piece of Boodles jewellery is designed and hand finished in Britain. There is an emphasis at Boodles on provenance: taking pride in being able to trace diamonds all the way back to source, and on using gold of a Single Mine Origin. At once classic and contemporary – and always distinctive – Boodles is perhaps best known for Raindance; the iconic ring which was recognised by the V&A Museum and entered into its permanent collection. In 2023 – the year of its 225th anniversary – Boodles was named by the UK’s luxury sector body, Walpole, as Best British Luxury Brand of the Year.