Constitution Hill's owner says he has Melbourne on his mind—and Melbourne says it would love to have him.
Racing Victoria's chief international recruiter has responded to Michael Buckley floating Melbourne Cup (G1) ideas by saying the gelding's participation in the race that stops a nation would be "one of the biggest racing stories in our lifetime".
Much water has to flow under the bridge, but following Constitution Hill's 9 1/2-length romp in his flat debut at Southwell Feb. 20, RV's head of racing and international recruitment, Paul Bloodworth, said he'd work hard to facilitate his Cup mission.
Asked if RV would be eager to see Constitution Hill line up in the $10 million showpiece on the first Tuesday of November, Bloodworth replied: "Absolutely."
"He's the most popular horse in the UK, and it'd just be a great story for the Melbourne Cup," Bloodworth told Racing Post.
"Willie Mullins has made a habit of bringing horses like Vauban, Absurde, and Max Dynamite to Melbourne for the Cup, but none of those have a profile like Constitution Hill.
"It'd be fantastic. It'd be a great story—great for the Melbourne Cup, and great for our spring carnival as a whole to have a story like that running through it."
He added: "We probably have to temper expectations a little bit. It (Southwell) was an all-weather race for novice horses, but there were some horses in the race who you think could go on and be competitive in group races, and he made them look second-rate.
"And he's already achieved high ratings with some of the ratings businesses in the UK. So, it's hugely exciting."
Contact already made
Bloodworth said he had already put out feelers to trainer Nicky Henderson to gauge interest in a Melbourne Cup raid, aiming to get on the front foot in explaining the processes required.
"I've already reached out via sources to Nicky to say that if this dream becomes a reality, we'll work with him to try to make it happen," Bloodworth said.
"At this point, I've reached out to say, 'Hey, if you want to have a chat now, here's my details.'. But I don't want to hassle them too much.
"But it'd be one of the biggest stories in racing in our lifetimes if he did line up on the first Tuesday of November."
Bloodworth said if Constitution Hill's connections were "umming and ahing" over attempting a Cup mission, RV and the Victoria Racing Club—which hosts the grand handicap at Australia's oldest continuous sporting venue, Flemington—would "work hard to get them over the line."
Henderson has made an attempt on the Cup before, with Forgotten Voice in 2013, but the gelding failed to make the final capacity 24-horse field after running fifth in a key lead-up race, the Geelong Cup.
That experience would at least have the trainer prepared for most aspects of the 10,000-mile adventure.
The challenge to reach Melbourne
The requirements for European horses to compete in the race have changed dramatically in the past five years; however, with strict veterinary checks now imposed at both ends of the journey following a spate of deaths in the race for foreign runners. Following those protocols, the arduous staying test has been fatality-free since 2021.
"Probably what we'd need to do is spell out what's required for them to come to Melbourne—flights, quarantine, vet requirements—and let them decide whether that's a challenge they'd want to take up," Bloodworth said.
"That's how we normally do things with trainers. Some accept the challenge, and some don't, so we'll see how we get on."
After Friday's Southwell romp, Buckley said, "As far as I know, he doesn't have anything that would prevent him from passing the vet checks, and Nicky will make sure to have a video of him and the way he trots, as he's not much of a trotter. He seems okay when he's galloping, though!"
Constitution Hill would also still have to make it past the first qualifying ballot for the great race, first held in 1861.
To become qualified past the first ballot, he would need to win a Listed race of 2,300 meters (about 11 1/2 furlongs) or further, place in a group race of that minimum distance, or in the Ebor Handicap at York Aug. 22.
The winner of the Ebor gains a guaranteed start in the Cup.
"I got the sense his connections were talking about the Ebor as an option," Bloodworth said.
"It would come down to the weight he gets allocated by our chief handicapper, but if he continues to perform like he did at Southwell on the flat, he'd meet the requirements reasonably easily."
Is he too old for the Cup dream?
Another consideration is age.
Constitution Hill is 9. The Cup has never been won by a horse of that age—much less a 10-year-old, which is how he'd be classed since the race takes place after southern hemisphere horses' "birthday" of Aug. 1.
Plus, only three 8-year-olds have won the Cup. One was in 1865, in Toryboy. The next came in 1938, with Catalogue.
The third came far more recently, with Twilight Payment in 2020, although being a northern raider for Joseph O'Brien, he was technically only seven at the time.
If Constitution Hill runs, a great many Australian punters would shy away from him on the score of his age alone.
In his favor, however, is the fact that he's extremely lightly raced for a 9-year-old, with only 14 starts.
"It's very rare to have horses of that age competing in the Cup," Bloodworth said. "But he hasn't been overly taxed through his career, even though he's an older horse.
"All you can say is if they decide to bring him, he will have gone on and shown good form in flat races on grass.
"So if he's able to do that, and based on his run on Friday, you'd think he'd be able to, then I don't think the age should be a worry.
"But it would be unique for sure, having a horse of that age coming for the Cup. And if he comes in good form, you'd have to think he's got an undeniable chance."
