Following a delayed but successful launch at Newcastle on 6th February, the second instalment of the new Friday Night Live series takes place at Southwell on 20th February. In common with the northeast fixture, Nottinghamshire racegoers can expect an array of activities to complement the racing action.
While the additional entertainment is likely to be appreciated by the youthful crowd, this is one Friday Night Live fixture which may not need it, at least when it comes to race six on the card.
Offering £40,000 in total prize money, The Friday Night Live With SBK Novice Stakes is only the second most valuable race of the evening. However, the 1m4f event dwarfs every other contest in terms of hype. Already scheduled to feature the flat debut of Constitution Hill, it now appears that the eight-time Grade 1 winner will be joined by a runner hailing from the yard of Willie Mullins.
Oisin on Board for Constitution Comeback
When plotting Constitution Hill’s route to the 2026 Cheltenham Hurdle, only the clairvoyant could have predicted that Southwell would play a pivotal role. The fact that the nine-year-old tackles the tapeta rather than a traditional hurdles warm-up is a surprise, but it does at least reduce the possibility of a fall – an issue which has plagued the brilliant son of Blue Bresil in three of his last four outings.
Nicky Henderson must be scratching his head as to what has gone wrong with Constitution Hill. Making his debut for the yard in December 2021, the Michael Buckley-owned runner embarked on a sensational ten-race winning spree. That winning streak came to an end when falling in the 2025 Champion Hurdle, and he has failed to win in three outings since, completing the course only once, when a well-beaten fifth in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.
Having made it no further than the second on his seasonal return in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, Henderson suggested that he wouldn’t be averse to running the horse on the flat should a suitable contest appear. Ask, and you shall receive, with Southwell stepping up to the plate with this contest. A third outing in the Champion Hurdle reportedly remains on the cards, but that may depend upon how he performs in this confidence-boosting outing.
However, Constitution Hill fares, he will at least have the right man in the saddle. Fresh from claiming a fifth British Champion Jockey title in 2025, Oisin Murphy has been booked for the ride. Constitution Hill may be unaccustomed to the demands of an all-weather flat contest, but Murphy has 688 all-weather wins to his name, including 37 at Southwell.
Prize Money Piques Mullins Interest
Despite his lack of experience in the sphere, Constitution Hill seems sure to start as a short price favourite for this assignment. While the make-up of the opposition is yet to be confirmed, it will be no surprise if the name of Willie Mullins features on the list of opposition trainers.
Referring to his interest in the race at a Jockey Club media morning, Mullins stated, “Of course I am. A 40-grand race on a dirt track – of course I’m going to try to send something over for it.”
We can only speculate on who that horse may be. However, the following three runners appear more likely than most to feature on the Closutton shortlist:
- Daddy Long Legs – Four-time hurdle winner who finished second to State Man in the 2025 Irish Champion Hurdle. Sports the yellow and black checks of Mrs J Donnelly and has hit the frame in his two previous flat outings.
- Minella Academy – Recent recruit to the yard, who is nicely bred for the flat, being by Sea The Moon and out of a Pivotal mare. Yet to appear for Mullins, but could use this race to boost his fitness ahead of his Triumph Hurdle engagement.
- Pappano – One of very few all-weather winners in the Mullins yard, Pappano won at Wolverhampton and Southwell when based with John & Thady Gosden in Newmarket.
Henderson Open to the Challenge
With 14 British all-weather wins to none for Willie Mullins, the stats favour Nicky Henderson in this clash of the National Hunt powerhouses. It also seems unlikely that Mullins will send anything approaching the class of Constitution Hill in pursuit of the prize.
However it pans out, Henderson was in a welcoming mood when informed of Mullins’ interest in the race, stating, “It’s good, I hope he can come, and we can go out for dinner, can’t we?”
If this all floats your boat, 7:30 pm on Friday, 20th February is the time to catch what is sure to be one of the most talked about all-weather contests of the season.