JUST as he did on the track throughout the season, Constitution Hill was in a different league to his rivals in the 2022/23 Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications but a rating of 175 wasn’t enough to eclipse the feats of Irish hurdling greats Istabraq and Faugheen.

The Nicky Henderson-trained superstar’s rating makes him the third highest-rated two-mile hurdler in the history of the classifications, which were first published in 1999/2000, though Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board senior National Hunt handicapper Andrew ‘Sandy’ Shaw lamented the fact we may never know how good he is as a result of never running in a handicap.

He now becomes the top British-trained hurdler in the last quarter of a century, though, just ahead of Big Buck’s and Thistlecrack on 174.

A margin of nine lengths separated Constitution Hill and State Man in the 2023 Unibet Champion Hurdle, and the handicapping teams calculated 10lb between the pair’s figures, with State Man (165) a clear second-best in the division.

Vauban is next on 159, narrowly ahead of brilliant Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Marine Nationale and County Hurdle runner-up Pied Piper on 158. Facile Vega enhances the Irish presence with a mark of 155.

“The question going forward is just how good is he?” said Shaw. “We’re finding it difficult to get a horse to push him to his limit.

“State Man, who this season became the first horse since Hurricane Fly to win all four Grade 1 hurdles over two miles in open company in Ireland, ran a cracking race in the Champion Hurdle without getting anywhere near Constitution Hill. The only way that rating can go any higher is ideally if he gave a stone to State Man and could beat him. You’d love to see him pushed to his limits.

Handicap test

“We don’t seem to have the era of Monksfield, Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon who took each other on regularly during the season. The strategy seems to have changed over the years - you avoid who you can possibly avoid all the way along until you get to the Champion Hurdle. Back in the day, all these horses seemed to meet each other on a regular basis. I find it unfortunate that we might never get to know how good a horse he is.”

Just 1lb separates Constitution Hill and both Istabraq and Faugheen. What could Michael Buckley’s six-year-old have done to get on terms with those rivals?

British Horseracing Authority hurdle handicap team leader Andrew Mealor said: “Maybe if he won by a length or two more at Cheltenham he could have surpassed them. The winning margin isn’t the only thing but he’s either going to have to win by a very long way, like Frankel did in the Queen Anne by 11 lengths, or he’ll have to meet better opposition to push him on.

“He’s only a six-year-old who has had just six races. Given what we know about National Hunt horses, he’s probably not at his peak yet so to get to 175 already says plenty about his raw ability. He can only beat what’s been put in front of him but we know it’s not a great era for two-mile hurdlers. There’s not a lot of depth to the division and we’ll have to see if that rating goes higher in future seasons.”

On the novices in the two-mile hurdle division, Shaw said: “Marine Nationale was impressive in the Supreme and his Cheltenham form was boosted by Facile Vega at Punchestown and Inthepocket at Aintree. He’ll certainly be a contender for next year’s Champion Hurdle. He’s probably the next contender to take on Constitution Hill.”

Across all distances, there were no British-trained novice hurdlers who reached a mark of 150 to feature in the classifications.

Impressive Impaire

Victory in the Aintree Hurdle on his final start meant Constitution Hill is also top of the two-and-a-half mile standings with a mark of 164, followed by high-class novice Impaire Et Passe (Willie Mullins) and Hatton’s Grace Hurdle hero Teahupoo (Gordon Elliott) on 160.

Sharjah (158), Blazing Khal and Zanahiyr (both 157) add further depth to the Irish ranks, while Honeysuckle bows out with a rating of 155 - dropped 4lb by the handicappers despite winning on her farewell run.

IHRB National Hunt handicapper Shay Quinn said: “It was probably a disappointing end to the season for Teahupoo when fourth at Punchestown but he’s only six, which is very young for a staying hurdler. I think he’ll take a lot of beating, especially on soft ground, next season.

“Impaire Et Passe is the top novice hurdler in training. His Cheltenham form looks particularly strong, with Ballymore second Gaelic Warrior following up at Punchestown. For context, his figure of 160 is on a par with what Envoi Allen achieved as a novice and is just ahead of State Man last year. He’s clearly well above average and is very exciting.”

Sire on top

As for the staying hurdlers, the thoroughly likeable Sire Du Berlais wears the crown with a rating of 161 - narrowly ahead of Punchestown Festival specialist Klassical Dream.

Dashel Drasher, Champ and Paisley Park were best of the British, and Mealor feels the division is ripe for a fresh face given the top five in the standings are aged 11, nine, 10, 10 and 11.

Gaelic Warrior, impressive in the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, is the only staying novice hurdler to feature in the classifications at this distance.

“There’s definitely going to be space in the next couple of seasons for young horses to come through as the older horses in this division fade away,” said Mealor.

“Much like last season, there’s very little between these horses. The five Grade 1 staying hurdles in Britain and Ireland were won by four different horses.”

Quinn added: “Sire Du Berlais stormed up the hill in the Stayers’ Hurdle and followed up at Aintree. To put the performances in to context, he was 11lb behind what Baracouda did in 2001 and 13lb Big Buck’s in his prime. It was a great performance from an 11-year-old in what mightn’t have been the strongest renewal.

“I’d be tempted to keep Gaelic Warrior over hurdles next season. I think he’d be a lively contender for the crown.”