Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports Richard Johnson backs Nicky Henderson's plan to give Constitution Hill a confidence-boosting Flat run at Southwell , insisting the superstar hurdler despite recent falls remains the best around if he relaxes and jumps cleanly for Cheltenham .
Johnson also tipped Haiti Couleurs as a major Gold Cup player on soft ground for his staying and jumping prowess, hails The Jukebox Man as a brilliant publicity win for racing under Harry Redknapp describes jockey Harry Cobden's job as the "best job in racing"and spotlights standouts like Majborough and Fact To File.
Constitution Hill
Nicky Henderson is "Doing The Right Thing" With Constitution Hill
I actually think it's the right thing to do because I think the horse needs a bit of confidence, and the most important thing is that he goes and has a nice time. Some people won't agree, but horses they're like humans, you know. If something's going wrong all the time, you have no confidence, and things aren't going to get any better. If he can go racing, have a nice time and relax, then great. When he's been falling over hurdles, it's because he's because he's not relaxed, he's just throwing himself. He's panicking; he's not relaxed.
We all know he can jump; that's not a problem, but whatever happens when he gets to the race course, he panics and just throws himself at his hurdles. So, a run on the Flat will, whether he wins or loses, give him a nice day out, and then it's up to the Henderson team whether they feel the Champion Hurdle is the right thing to do. If Constitution Hill runs in the Champion Hurdle and he jumps, he wins!
He is the best horse. I don't think anyone can be confident he's going to do that after what he's done. But it's not the lack of ability. It's trying to get him to relax and not do something silly. Nicky Henderson has had horses for longer than I've been alive, and he's brilliant. When you ride for him, honestly, his horses jump amazingly. They're very well prepared. He has great help from other people coming in to help.
There's not really a right answer or wrong answer because if he runs and falls, you know they'll all say. ‘Oh, he shouldn't have done it.’ And if he runs and wins, they'll say he's a genius. So, I feel sorry for Nicky . He's in a very awkward position, but I hope that horse has a nice time at Southwell . He is one of the best hurdlers I've ever seen, and we all like to see a horse coming back after an injury or setback and proving people wrong. When Sprinter Sacre won that second championship, I don't think any of us could believe it. Sport loves a story like that.
Gold Cup
Haiti Couleurs Gold Cup Prediction
If it’s soft ground, he’d definitely be in the reckoning. I wouldn't put anybody off him. The one thing he'll do is stay and jump, and in a Gold Cup , that's the most important part. He's a very good horse.
I do think they were right to go to Newbury the other day because he had had quite a nice time. He didn't have to completely give it all, and it was a perfect prep for Cheltenham if that's where he goes. If it's generally soft ground, I would struggle to see him not being in the first four.
Harry Redknapp’s Gold Cup Chance: The Jukebox Man
He has been for a long time. I'm sure a lot of people only saw the King George and everything else, but he's had horses for a long time. He's put plenty of money behind his enthusiasm as well, and it's great to see people get a reward and enjoyment out of it.
Again, I think for racing, any publicity like that is brilliant because Harry's such a well-known man. Every person on the street knows Harry Redknapp, whether you're a 60-year-old housewife wife or an 18-year-old, everybody knows Harry Redknapp. He's a fantastic man. You know, we want to embrace all these people, and hopefully we've got to make sure we make the most of all the publicity we get.
Jockey Debate
Harry Has “The Best Job In Racing”
Without doubt, I would say it's the best job in racing. They're a really professional team to work for. JP , it goes without saying, has been and is a fantastic owner for so long, and he's very, very loyal, and he invests hugely in very nice horses. I think it's going to be a great job for Harry , and I think there's also a lot of pressure that goes with that sort of job. You're riding very good horses on the big occasions.
But Harry has shown, especially in the last two or three years with Paul Nicholls , that he takes each race as it comes. He's got a very cool head, and he doesn't get flustered. It’s a brilliant opportunity for him. For an Englishman to get that job is a huge accolade to him. I don't think many people would have ever thought an English jockey would get JP's job, purely because there are so many good jockeys in Ireland .
So that says a lot about Harry and how he rides. AP has been very keen on the way Harry rides and thinks that it will suit JP very well. They must have felt it was just the right time to bring a new jockey.
Walsh Setback Was Coming
It's never nice to have this happen. But Mark is getting older. Mark's a very professional person, and he's not going to say an awful lot in public, but I'm sure JP would have discussed this with Mark before it was announced. JP always does things the right way.
If you speak to anybody in racing who's ever had anything to do with JP and his team, they're very professional, and it would always be done by the book.
I'm sure Mark will have known about it. But it will be disappointing for him, and he will be gutted to think that some of those horses he rode at the Dublin Racing Festival , come next season, he might not be the first choice to ride, which is going to be disappointing for him as well.
Paul Nicholls’ Will Find Someone Else
No, I don't think it really does. By his own high standards and his admission, he's not got the horses at the moment that he obviously would like to have and has been used to having. At the same time, the horse he has in the Novice Hurdle , No Drama This End , looks like a champion of the future.
I've no doubt that Paul will bounce back, and he's obviously still training a lot of winners anyway. JP’s job is one that would be very hard to turn down. AP left Martin Pipe , where he was Champion Jockey and winning everything all those years ago, to ride for JP . Things just move on.
I would have thought Paul will still use Harry quite a lot, and I think there's lots of great jockeys in Britain riding at the moment; the likes of Sam Twiston-Davies , who has already ridden for Paul quite a lot, will, I'm sure, be involved in the future, and obviously Freddie Gingell is there as well. The standard of riding at the moment in Britain is very high, so I don't think Paul will be struggling for people to want to ride for him or for good lads that he wants to use.
Majborough
“Standout” Majborough At The Dublin Racing Festival
Majborough really put it together, actually. I've always thought he can be a bit hit and miss sometimes he looks like a superstar, and then sometimes he doesn't always quite go through with it. At the DRF , I thought he really looked like the finished article.
Fact To File is always a horse I have loved. He’s awesome. For me, he ticks all the right boxes. I assume now the Gold Cup will be his route. I think he's just matured into that staying chaser who is made for the Gold Cup . The two mile five furlongs of the Ryanair is too short for him now, but I'm not sure he was really a Gold Cup horse until this year. He's really grown up. We probably still haven't seen him at his absolute peak.
Trainer Talk
Impressing Trainers
I think Ben Pauling’s had an amazing season. He's just growing each year, same as Harry Derham, a very good young trainer, going the right way. But the one trainer that I think is doing well is Anthony Honeyball. He's a very good trainer. He wouldn't have huge budgets to spend on horses, but he has had a really, really good season.
These are the sort of trainers that are our future as well. In all aspects, he's got a long future ahead of him in training. Anthony rode as a jockey; he’s seen it all, and with his wife Rachel , who rode as well, they do a great job. He’s one of several very good young trainers coming through the ranks. Up north, you've got Harvey and Sue Smith’s grandson, Joel Parkinson .
For northern racing, we need a few more trainers up north to do well. Again, it's gone in cycles, but at the moment, the north probably hasn't got the number of jump horses. It's more dominated by the Flat area. It would be nice to see some more good horses up north.
Cheltenham 2026
Ladies Day
Definitely, very important. Zara [Phillips ] is obviously very involved with Cheltenham itself anyway. It's like having Harry Redknapp heading up a Gent’s Day if there was such a thing! They want to support racing and get us out to the wider audience, really. I think we've been very bad at publicising our great sport for so long. We need to be a bit more on the front foot.
We should always talk about the positive things. Too many people focus on the negative. People love coming racing, and with people like Zara and Harry Redknapp, we should be embracing them.
Bet on Horse Racing Odds at BOYLE Sports
Prices are subject to fluctuation.
Remember, Always Gamble Responsibly.
