Cheltenham Festival Tips: Kevin Blake's 2025 Champion Hurdle ante-post big race verdict

• Kevin Blake gives his 2025 Champion Hurdle ante-post big race verdict

• Contitution Hill to regain his Cheltenham title

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Is the Champion Hurdle the race it used to be?

The Champion Hurdle is a different race to what it used to be. 20 years ago, it regularly attracted 15 or more runners and was known as being one of the most electric races in the sport. Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing, but there is little doubt that the last golden era of two-mile hurdling with Rooster Booster, Hardy Eustace, Brave Inca, Harchibald and Macs Joy et al truly was a joy for the ages.

The race finds itself in a different spot now. Changing trends in the bloodstock world have seen less and less high-class Flat performers being sent hurdling and there seems to be a much greater emphasis on top hurdlers being sent chasing than there once was.

The bottom-line impact of this and more is that the number of hurdlers rated 170+ has gone through the floor in the last 15 years. Depth has been hit too, with just one renewal of the Champion Hurdle in the last decade having had more than 12 runners and single-figure fields having become the norm.

It all reached something of a depressing nadir last year as with Constitution Hill ruled out, we were left with just one of the eight runners being rated over 160. With by far the most interesting potential contender Lossiemouth taking her chance in the Mares' Hurdle instead, it made for a boring procession for State Man.

Is Constitution Hill the force of old?

However, this season we have seen some much-needed rays of light shining on the division. The brilliant Constitution Hill, quite possibly one of the most talented two-mile hurdlers of all time, has had to rebuild his reputation after a series of setbacks and disappointing public workouts raised fears that he might never get back to his brilliant best. At the same time, the emergence of Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead as potential contenders has livened up the division no end and there has been no shortage of drama in it this season.

With Constitution Hill, the simple question is whether he is still the horse he was two seasons ago. At his brilliant best, there perhaps hasn't ever been another hurdler that could beat him. However, a colic scare, breathing operation and two disappointing public workouts that led to him missing intended engagements all raised fears that his best days might be behind him.

Constitution Hill has thus found himself on something of a recovery mission this season, but he has answered his critics loudly.

Willie Mullins did his best to make it difficult for him by sending a race-fit Lossiemouth to take him on in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and James Owen played his part too by sending out Burdett Road to go a fearsome gallop from the outset, but Constitution Hill was more than equal to all of it. Travelling and jumping with all his usual sharpness, he ran out the 2.5 length victor from Lossiemouth who had been taken aback by the speed of the early pace.

That performance scared away any meaningful opposition to Constitution Hill for his second start of the season in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham, though a lapse in concentration at the final hurdle gave everyone a scare.

As of now, Constitution Hill hasn't been tested enough to confirm just how much of his ability he retains, but it is clear that he retains enough to still be considered top of the pops in the division.

His preparation has gone well so far and the fact that Nicky Henderson gave him a somewhat unexpected second outing in the International Hurdle speaks for how happy he is with Constitution Hill. He seems sure to arrive to the Cheltenham Festival in top form and the question is, can anything beat him?

State Man, Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead examined

At the time of writing, Willie Mullins looks set to provide the main opposition. In State Man, he has an 11-time Grade 1 winner, but it is difficult to escape the fact that when he met Constitution Hill in this race two years ago he was brushed aside without much drama. His connections believe he wasn't himself that day, but his form this season hardly inspires confidence that he is as good now as he was then.

That reality check also serves to shine a poor light on Lossiemouth, as while she is the younger, more progressive performer of the two, everything we've ever heard from the Mullins camp suggests that they simply do not believe that Lossiemouth is as good as State Man. This was underlined in no uncertain terms when Paul Townend decided to ride State Man when they clashed in the Irish Champion Hurdle and Mullins has since said that he'd be extremely surprised if Townend got off State Man to ride Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle.

As well as that, Lossiemouth is hardly coming into the Champion Hurdle on a high either. While it was encouraging to see her show much more early sharpness in the Irish Champion Hurdle than she did in the Christmas Hurdle, she ultimately ended up on the floor after falling at the fourth-last flight.

On paper, she remains the most fascinating challenger to Constitution Hill, but with her trainer and jockey seemingly not brimming with confidence in her, it makes it that bit more difficult to weigh in behind her.

The wildcard possibility in the race is that the Gordon Elliottt-trained Brighterdaysahead could join the party. If she did, she would be sure to have a big chance.

However, her owner has repeatedly said that the Mares' Hurdle is her preferred target. It is obvious that Elliott would rather run her in the Champion Hurdle, but Michael O'Leary makes the calls and it seems more likely than not that she will end up in the Mares' Hurdle.

2025 Champion Hurdle verdict

So, what is the conclusion?

It isn't original, it isn't wildly ambitious, but I just can't see past Constitution Hill. At his peak, he is quite possibly the most talented hurdler I've seen in my time in racing. He hasn't had the clearest of runs of it in the last year or so, but he looks to be back in a good place and I can see him regaining his Champion Hurdle crown at his ease.

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