I didn’t properly celebrate the longest day of 2026 in this column but now we’re only four weeks away from the Autumn Equinox (September 23), writes Tony Stafford. That is the astronomical start of autumn in the northern hemisphere when day and night (light and darkness) are in equal measure – 12 hours each.
The apparent alarming rapidity with which evenings encroach during August have always made it my least favourite month – in truth it’s only ten minutes per week – just as the promise of renewal (and four imminent Classic races) as May approaches, makes that my number one.
This year for racehorse trainers, the spring was extremely difficult with the frequent deluges of rain. Since the Derby, the contrasting heat and no rain – here on the east coast we had one day with 2mm in a 58-day moisture-free stretch until a few rainy days over the past week. Too late to save the roses and the lawn, but enough to get the ground further south-west at Goodwood horribly testing. That’s what happens when you water before the rain: who would be a clerk of the course?
Tomorrow, though, we have the safe harbour of September and a day when the proponents of the future survival of Kempton Park will have their most powerful advocate; and it isn’t a trainer, however hard Nicky Henderson canvasses to keep the Sunbury track from the developers. Rather, it’s his best and most-loved horse, Constitution Hill.
I was there at that Wednesday evening in March when Constitution Hill, remember he’s a nine-year-old, raced for only the second time on the flat following a winning debut in a cobbled together contest at Southwell a month earlier.
That inaugural flat outing had a handsome incentivising prize whereas the Kempton event, also for four-year-olds and upwards, was worth a more routine £5k to the winner.
To “make a bird of it”, as the old-time Cockneys would have said, Henderson enrolled Ryan Moore to do the steering and, at the prohibitive price of 7 to1 on, he won comfortably enough, albeit not as spectacularly as he had at Southwell.
So, this former Champion Hurdle winner, veteran of 14 hurdle races, ten wins but tellingly three consecutive falls over the previous 12 months before switching codes, now aims for Saturday’s September Stakes at the Sunbury track.
My friend Jeffrey Curry (Curly to his many racing mates) called to ask if I would be there. Sadly not – instead I’ll go for the evening card the previous day. Curly reminded me what a massive crowd had been there to see Constitution Hill’s run back in March.
I had to thank him for getting there early and securing us a table. On a late summer Saturday afternoon, and with the prospect of a race against smart flat horses rather than the limited opposition of his two earlier victories, it’s a compelling prospect. Kempton will be filled to the rafters, to coin yet another cliché.
Twice Henderson has had to alter his programme. First, he was meant to go for the John Porter at Newbury in April but that plan was aborted. Then it was another scheduled Group 3, the Geoffrey Freer at the recent August fixture at his local track, but that too was sidestepped with the fast ground to worry about.
Kempton’s deep Polytrack seems a safe option, especially as he’s seen it before. With his admittedly random mark of 101, he will need to do a lot more to win if, as has been mooted, George Scott’s Bay City Roller, a 124-rated four-year-old, takes his chance on his way to a tilt at the Arc.
Curly isn’t abashed by that prospect. “I don’t think he’ll ever be beaten!” He’s seen probably almost as many races as me over the years, knows what he’s looking at and, if he is right, it could be that with the Arc being open to geldings for the first time next year, he could even line up at Longchamp on the first Sunday of October 2027.
That must be the thought going through owner Michael Buckley’s mind. To think before Nicky’s inspired idea to run on the flat, plenty of people, including me, were suggesting Constitution Hill should be retired, lest that impeccable image of the horse I believe to have been the greatest hurdler of our time was too badly tarnished.
Now, though, if he can win on Saturday they will be able to sing the old refrain, “There’s only one Constitution”, more so since Constitution River didn’t keep up his great winning sequence when only third in the Juddmonte International at York behind Item last month. Also, the UK doesn’t have a written constitution either unlike so many of those darned foreigners!
If there was a big crowd there that chilly March evening, imagine the throng that will be cheering on Constitution Hill on Saturday. And if he wins the £96k William Hill-sponsored Group 3, he will be within £65k of career earnings of £1 million via a first prize of £54k.
Bay City Roller will carry a 7lb penalty, earned by his scintillating ten-length success in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom’s Derby meeting when Oisin Murphy had the mount. The penalties only reflect wins after March 31 this year, so a high-class horse making a comeback for any reason this year will be unpenalized, as of course will be the Henderson superstar.
Oisin was active in the media during the week talking up Andrew Balding’s chance of beating Aidan O’Brien to this year’s fiercely contested trainers’ total, although if you could imagine either as capable of fierceness, you are a better man than me.
Andrew has added four wins to his tally since the end of York’s Ebor meeting which did so much to rekindle his hopes of a first title. Oisin rightly pointed to the big winners from that week, Item and Kalpana, with the pair almost certainly aiming at Ascot’s Champions Day fixture in mid-October.
Both horses give their owner, Juddmonte, and trainer a conundrum however, as Ascot follows hard on the Arc meeting on the opening Sunday of October. A gruelling race for either in that demanding all-aged contest might take the edge off which or both the Kingsclere team captain redirects to Ascot.
At the same time, to prevent one or other taking in the race that would enhance their reputations indelibly for the future, is probably too much of a temptation to resist. Kalpana at 8/1 is third favourite behind last year’s winner, Daryz, reportedly back on track with a recent racecourse gallop after finishing third in the ten-furlong Prince of Wales’s Stakes behind Ombudsman and Minnie Hauk, 3/1 favourite for a repeat.
Maltese Cross, comfortable winner of the Great Voltigeur at York, is second in at 6/1 while Item, who turned over Ombudsman and Constitution River at York In the Juddmonte International, is next at 12/1 with Bay City Roller on 14’s.
Oisin had six winners over the past week, so crept one closer to Billy Loughnane who had five, and with only 47 days to go before the title is decided – Champions Day, October 17 – the gap is 14 with Billy on 111 and Oisin on 97.
Last weekend was one of those modest periods relatively although Goodwood did offer a nice prize, snapped up by Eve Johnson Houghton’s Zavateri in the Celebration Mile. His class shone through in this Group 2 having spent the summer toiling but not without credit behind such as Bow Echo and Notable Speech.
I remember in the old days every year jumping in the car straight after the Celebration Mile and flying down the minor roads to get to Windsor’s final evening meeting of the year, as it then was; no 3pm or 3.30pm first races in those days.
Then, Windsor’s two features were a Group 3 race and a Listed, both often targets for an improving Sir Michael Stoute horse, on his or her way to stardom. Now there’s just a Listed, the August Stakes, but its make-up on Saturday entitled it to consideration for Group 3 status next time around. Tenability (William Haggas, Tom Marquand) won it. He’s rated 110 and only one of his opponents had a mark lower than 100. Third home was the former Irish-trained six-year-old White Birch.
John Joseph Murphy had trained him with great distinction for all his career, which included a 2024 defeat of that year’s subsequent Derby winner Auguste Rodin, and last year he wasn’t far behind Los Angeles on a couple of occasions.
His final run of 2025 was behind Daryz in the Arc after which he changed hands for 300,000gns at Tattersalls’ October HIT sale. Jamie Osborne bought him and had him gelded, giving him plenty of time before making this very encouraging start from his existing mark of 118. He’s had his spells off the track, but you’d think the very shrewd Mr Osborne has a plan in place!
- TS
Other Recent Posts by This Author:
- Monday Musings: Powerful Goddess
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- Monday Musings: A Little Bit of Rekindling
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