Lossiemouth swept home to win the William Hill Aintree Hurdle, as Constitution Hill left onlookers stunned again with another fall.
Nicky Henderson’s superstar was the even-money favourite to put his shock Champion Hurdle spill from Cheltenham firmly behind him, and after a smooth passage through the early stages he looked on track to do so.
Nico de Boinville had found himself boxed in approaching the penultimate flight, however, where both horse and rider hit the floor, as Willie Mullins’ Lossiemouth powered to the lead to score at 5-4 under Paul Townend from Wodhooh.
A gracious Mullins said: “I was disappointed for Michael (Buckley, owner), Nicky and Nico and the connections of Constitution Hill – and for racing.
“We came here knowing our mare was in good shape and we thought the (two-and-a-half-mile) trip would suit us this time (rather than two miles at Kempton), but we never got to find out.
“When Paul made his move it has eventually paid off, but I was wondering had he done it too soon.
“Nico has a great habit of looking like he is under pressure and then finding another bit in the last furlong. A couple of times we’ve thought we had Nico beat and he’s actually got a little bit up his sleeve, so I did wonder if Paul had played his cards too early, but it was gifted to him so what could he do.”
He added: “I’d imagine we’ll go to Punchestown now as long as she comes out of this all right, that’s our normal plan.
“I’m not getting into if she runs in the Champion or Mares’ though! State Man will be going for the Champion so we’ll probably keep them apart.”
Henderson, meanwhile, was left with a distinct case of deja vu as he tried to make sense of what he had witnessed.
“It is heartbreaking and to do it twice, you couldn’t believe it really,” said the Seven Barrows trainer.
“He is genuinely the best jumper you’ll ever see. But in that vocabulary there is just what you would have called a one per cent chance of doing what he’s done, but he’s done it twice, which does worry you, of course it does. But how can you iron it out?
“As Nico said, he’d been fantastic the whole way. At a couple of hurdles he went in short and that’s what we’ve been trying to get him to do, but when you’re going to three out and racing like that you can’t afford to do that, you’ve got to go, and Nico said he just came up too soon.
“Nico said he was full of running and his words to me were that he actually had Lossiemouth where he wanted her. He was happy with her in front rather than behind.”
On whether Constitution Hill might run again this season, Henderson said: “We started to discuss it (Punchestown) just then. Funnily enough after Cheltenham I said to Nico we’d go to Punchestown and not here and he said ‘good, those hurdles will suit him better’.”
Joe Chambers, racing manager to winning owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, told Racing TV: “It’s a shame about Constitution Hill, that’s twice it has happened to them and we know all about fallers – we lost Willy De Houelle sadly, another great young horse, in the first race and thankfully Rachael (Blackmore) is OK.
“It’s an amazing game, we were on our backside an hour and a half ago and now here we are with two Grade One winners at Aintree and in the sunshine, it’s absolutely magic to be honest with you.”
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