Back in the day, the former head of Bank of Ireland, Mark Hely Hutchinson, dined out on how during his amateur rider days he twice managed to get beaten on Arkle. A handful of jockeys rode the greatest steeplechaser in history. Only Hely Hutchinson couldn’t win on him.
The Corinthian rider’s nice line in self-deprecation ignored how the two defeats were in bumpers at the start of Arkle’s career when the paragon was miles off the peerless finished product he was to become. It’s a situation Ben Harvey can empathise with.
It’s almost four years since the Cheltenham festival-winning jockey was still an amateur and riding a callow newcomer called Constitution Hill in a point-to-point. They were beaten. Within a couple of seasons, Constitution Hill was being compared to Arkle. But it looked very unlikely at that point to point.
Today’s Champion Hurdle favourite boasts a perfect 10 from 10 record on the racecourse under jockey Nico De Boinville. His sole start between the flags, however, was a different story. Inevitably, Harvey hasn’t been allowed to forget it by his colleagues in the jockey’s room.
The unreality of British National Hunt racing’s headline act getting turned over in a non-descript point-to-point echoes circumstances at the time. The race took place at Tipperary racecourse due to Covid restrictions. There was no betting.
Unsurprisingly, Constitution Hill was expected to win. His then handler Warren Ewing hadn’t brought him from Antrim for the scenery. And Harvey was already showing the talent that in 2023 took him to Cheltenham glory as a 5lb claimer aboard Seddon.
But they were still beaten, something the rider from Naul in Co Dublin still takes good-natured stick for.
“I would have ridden him in pieces of work beforehand. He had a big reputation and his work was really, really good. I’d schooled him one day up at Warren’s and everything I saw of him looked very special,” Harvey recalls.
“In terms of a physical, he was a nice-looking horse, but he wouldn’t have taken your breath away. He gave a really good feel though. He always had a lot of speed. He was a good jumper. Again, I probably wouldn’t have got off him and said he’s amazing, but he knew his job and went and did it,” he adds.
So, to Tipperary on April 24th, 2021 where, remarkably he didn’t go and do it. Attempting to make all, the tyro superstar was making hard work of winning when he made a bad error at the final obstacle. His nearest rival Noharminasking took advantage and held off Constitution Hill’s late rally by a head.
“We thought it was just a matter of turning up really. I was surprised turning in how little horse I had left. I’d never got into a great rhythm on him in the race, but I had it at my mercy going to the last and he just stepped through it.
“We stood up, but we lost all momentum, and he was headed. In fairness to the horse, he picked up and went again. A couple of strides after the line he was in front again,” Harvey recalls ruefully.
It emerged afterwards the horse was starting to suffer from a virus. It hit hard enough for him to lose condition when he went to the sales a month later. Ewing and part-owner Barry Geraghty were hoping he’d make £250,000 (nearly €300,000.) They sold him for less than half that.
Despite Ewing’s recommendation, Constitution Hill’s appearance meant Gigginstown’s Eddie O’Leary said he’d look at him again in a month. He didn’t get the chance. The horse went to Nicky Henderson and stardom.
“There was definitely something amiss with him. We found out later it wasn’t the real Constitution Hill. Had we not made the mistake at the last we’d have won. It wasn’t as if everything went according to plan, and he just got beaten so there is that side to it,” says Harvey.
“He’s a freak ... I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like him,” he adds.
Like everyone else, the jockey will be tuning in at 4pm to see how his former mount gets on as he attempts to emulate Hurricane Fly and Comedy Of Errors by regaining the Champion Hurdle crown.
“With Brigherdaysahead there and the way the race works out, I’m sure there will be a lot of speed on. That won’t be a problem to him. It will make for a good race anyway,” says Harvey.
Victory for Constitution Hill might result in more stick but the upside is obvious. It’s no bad boast to have ridden one of the modern greats, no matter what the outcome.
