Constitution Hill and Shishkin have both been withdrawn from Saturday’s rearranged Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown.
13:15 Saturday
The two-time Cheltenham Festival winner Constitution Hill has been withdrawn from the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown, alongside stablemate Shishkin.
Here is a guide to the remaining four runners.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Runners & Riders
Not So Sleepy
- Trainer: Hughie Morrison
- Jockey: Daryl Jacob
- Form: 155/355
- Odds: 14/1
Not So Sleepy is a small, quirky horse that is also very admirable and talented and has served trainer Hughie Morrison well over the years. His record in this race reads R13 from three starts, and he will enter the race for the fourth time after finishing a valiant seventh out of 31 in the Newmarket Cesarewitch Handicap.
The 11-year-old showed that age is nothing more than a number after dead-heating in the 2021 renewal when he split the spoils with Epatante. Regretfully, he faces a formidable challenge in trying to turn around his performance from last year, as the overwhelming favourite defeated him by almost 14 lengths when he could only manage third place.
Still, he ran with credit in defeat, and we can alleviate any ground concerns given he’s won under good, good-to-soft, soft, and heavy conditions. His versatility in both codes cannot be disputed, so while it is hard to imagine him coming out on top, he looks a shade overpriced for place purposes.
Nevertheless, he ran creditably to make the frame, and given he has succeeded in good, good-to-soft, soft, and heavy conditions, we can allay our worries about the ground.
It is difficult to see him winning, but he appears a little overpriced for the situation ahead, and his unquestionable versatility entitles him to respect, plus he is only rated 1Ib lower than second favourite Love Envoi.
Love Envoi
- Trainer: Harry Fry
- Jockey: Jonathan Burke
- Form: 121126
- Odds: 6/5
On paper, Harry Fry's really likeable mare, Love Envoi, poses the greatest threat to the defending champion, Constitution Hill. She has won eight of her 11 races under rules and has proven a valuable asset to connections over the last two seasons, winning several notable races, especially on soft ground.
In March 2022 at the Cheltenham Festival, she won her biggest race to date, the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle. Then, in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle a year later, she forced the great Honeysuckle to fight all the way to the finish, coming in second.
Although she was sent off as the joint favourite in the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown, she ultimately disappointed when she finished last of six. However, she had a difficult race at Cheltenham just six weeks prior, which may have affected her unusually poor performance.
Her form figures on home soil, which read 111111112, speak well of her chances this weekend. She rates the most likely participant to finish second, despite being rated 23Ib lower than the market leader. She will also not lack fitness because she is undefeated in three starts in her seasonal comeback.
You Wear It Well
- Trainer: Jamie Snowden
- Jockey: Gavin Sheehan
- Form: 121151
- Odds: 2/1
Jamie Snowden's quickly developing mare, You Wear It Well, hasn't done much wrong in her career. In March, she won the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, at which Gavin Sheehan gave her a power-packed ride from the front, matching Love Envoi's feat, who landed the race 12 months earlier.
Perhaps more than I initially thought, her run at Cheltenham took a toll on her, and I believe that her final start of the campaign at Aintree was one too many. Before her run faded over the extra yardage when she stepped up in trip to 2m4f, she led for a considerable distance. Despite this minor setback in her form, she ran creditably and made a successful reappearance with a commanding two-mile victory in the Listed race at Wetherby.
Given that Luccia, the runner-up, recently ran well to take third in the Greatwood Hurdle, the form has somewhat improved. She will need to make some more progress, though, because this is a much harder task, and based on collateral ratings, she has plenty to find with all of these in the betting.
Contrarily, the course should play to her strengths, conditions will not be of concern, and connections have pitched her into the deepest of waters this weekend, which adds intrigue to the field. She has also triumphed in five of her six starts over this distance, and trainer, Jamie Snowden, holds a 43% strike rate at this course.
Goshen
- Trainer: Gary Moore
- Jockey: Niall Houlihan
- Form: 123524
- Odds: 9/2
He was one of two late entries when the race was thankfully rescheduled following Newcastle’s abandonment. He returned a remote fourth in last month’s Coral Hurdle at Ascot, a race he had won impressively 12 months prior, but this seven-year-old has excelled at this course several times.
With form figures of 112 in three starts at this course, including a neck-second to Knappers Hill in the Grade 2 bet365 Select Hurdle, Gary Moore’s multiple-graded winner is likely to outrun his wild odds in the refitted cheekpieces.
But the recent evidence suggests that he wants further, given that his second here in April was over two miles and five furlongs, and his second to Paisley Park in last season’s rearranged Long Walk Hurdle came over three miles.
Niall Houlihan will continue his association with him due to Jamie’s injury, and his mount could turn out to be the possible pace angle if She Wears It Well doesn’t go forward. He should fare better than his recent effort at Ascot, but he’ll need to produce the performance of his life to win, and that seems far-fetched.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Tips & Prediction
Prior to Constitution Hill's withdrawal, my recommendation was a bet in the w/o Constitution Hill market, which would pay off if the horse was to finish either first or second.
Though Love Envoi has a good record when fresh and will relish the ground, she ended the previous season with a lacklustre display in Ireland, and this is seemingly plan-C for Shishkin, who might need the run. Instead, I am going to recommend backing YOU WEAR IT WELL (best price 7/2).
The six-year-old has a run under her belt and, in my opinion, doesn’t have as much to find with the second and third favourite as the ratings suggest despite being the lowest-rated runner in the field.
She also ticks off a lot of the main trends, with the rating statistic being an exception. This mare's profile, with her pronounced upward curve in form, is very alluring. She has a lot of room for improvement, jumps very neatly and is proven on a testing surface.
Assuming the same positive tactics that have facilitated her ascent through the ranks will be applied, she could emerge as the second-best horse on the day. With that latest return under her belt, which should prove pivotal in the context of this contest, she’s a solid alternative to the market leader.
