After all the talking, Constitution Hill delivered a five-star performance on his flat racing debut at Southwell on Friday night.

Winner of the 2023 Champion Hurdle, the Nicky Henderson-trained gelding had fallen on three of his last four starts, prompting connections to run him on the flat before making a decision on whether to run him again at Cheltenham next month.

A 12-furlong race at Southwell was chosen as the target and, with Oisin Murphy on board, the nine-year-old started the 6/4 favourite to defeat 12 rivals in front of a big crowd.

As he pulled up almost 10 lengths clear in the closing stages, Constitution Hill received a huge roar from the stands. He was followed home by the second favourite, the recent Dundalk winner Square Necker.

Oisin Murphy said: "I thought he was very special at home. I felt that if he reproduced what he did with me two weeks ago he would put these to the sword, and thankfully he performed on the night. He's an extraordinary horse because there's no blow out of him. He must have an incredible lung capacity."

Bookmakers rushed to make Constitution Hill the 5/2 co-favourite for the Champion Hurdle, alongside Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion. But Nicky Henderson refrained from confirming plans.

The trainer said: "He was fabulous. It's been a tough year for everyone associated with the horse but we have tears of joy tonight."