Constitution Hill set for Windsor August Stakes after gallops return

Constitution Hill was back working on the gallops at Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard, and the next move is already coming into focus. Henderson has identified the Weatherbys Digital Solutions August Stakes at Windsor as the preferred target, with the Listed race set for Saturday 29 August and worth £60,000 over 1m3f.

The sight of Constitution Hill on the grass does not mean he is at full race sharpness yet, but it does show the Flat campaign is still being built carefully. Henderson has been managing the horse’s programme with owner Michael Buckley, and the latest call leaves Windsor looking like the most realistic next step rather than a leap straight into deeper company.

That fits Henderson’s usual pattern with a horse he wants to place precisely. He had previously said Constitution Hill was being aimed at a middle-August return, but the calendar has now nudged the plan back toward Windsor. He also pulled him out of a planned Newbury run after deciding, following a discussion and a course walk, that the ground was too quick for the big horse.

The Ebor was another option that was ultimately removed from the equation. Henderson had initially entered Constitution Hill for the Sky Bet Ebor at York on 22 August, but later decided against it because there was not enough time to qualify him for the handicap. That leaves the Windsor Listed race as the cleanest fit on timing, conditions and race type.

Constitution Hill’s Flat record already gives Henderson a solid base to work from. He is unbeaten in two starts on the level, winning the Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes at Southwell and then following up in a 1m4f novice race at Kempton under Ryan Moore. Those runs showed enough stamina to stretch beyond two miles over hurdles, but also enough speed to suggest a 1m3f test at Windsor should be well within range.

The bigger picture is a horse whose future has been reset after his hurdle form unravelled. Constitution Hill, the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner, has already been ruled out of the 2026 Champion Hurdle after falling three times in four hurdle starts before the switch to the Flat. The new programme is about controlled steps, and Windsor now looks like the most likely next checkpoint.