Legendary former winner Structure Hill isn’t racing at Cheltenham Competition this yr.
Structure Hill successful the 2023 Champion Hurdle. (Picture: Getty) This text accommodates affiliate hyperlinks, we are going to obtain a fee on any gross sales we generate from it. Be taught extra
Following a sequence of uncharacteristic errors, former champion Structure Hill has fallen in three of his final 4 hurdle begins. It was decided that his confidence over obstacles had evaporated, making a return to the Champion Hurdle too harmful for the horse and jockey Nico de Boinville.
Coach Nicky Henderson said it could be “not honest” to ask the horse to leap once more after his latest struggles. Emphasising horse welfare, the staff determined the unthinkable penalties of one other fall outweighed the will to reclaim his title.
A profitable fact-finding mission at Southwell noticed the gelding win a 1.5-mile novice race by almost ten lengths. This spectacular victory below Oisin Murphy proved he retains his engine and velocity, convincing Henderson and proprietor Michael Buckley that his future lies on the extent somewhat than over jumps. Henderson described the transfer to skip Cheltenham as one of many hardest of his profession.
By retiring from jumps, Structure Hill can now goal main Flat prizes. His new schedule might embrace the Melbourne Cup or the Irish St Leger, shifting focus from Prestbury Park to worldwide “taking part in fields” the place the chance of falling is eliminated.
Though not racing, he appeared on the Competition for a particular parade on Tuesday. This allowed followers to say goodbye to the horse as a jumper, marking the top of a “staggering journey” in Nationwide Hunt earlier than his full-time change to the Flat.
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