This weekend, domestic Group 1 action returns, as Haydock hosts the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes. Under normal circumstances, that top-tier six-furlong contest would generate the most hype in the days leading up to the race. However, this year, a Group 3 contest from Kempton may give the race a run for its money.
First run in 1979, the September Stakes is one of only two Group 3 contests held at the home of the King George VI Chase. Taking place on the all-weather Polytrack surface since 2006, the mile-and-a-half contest features dual Arc winner Enable and Dubai World Cup hero Prince Bishop on the roll of honour.
Always one of the most anticipated Flat events of the year at Kempton, the 2026 edition looks set to be graced by the mighty Constitution Hill. Repurposed as a flat horse, having seemingly forgotten how to jump a hurdle reliably, the Nicky Henderson superstar is unbeaten in two starts on the level. It’s been a promising start to his new career, but this represents by far his toughest test to date. Lying in wait among the potential opposition are a pair of Group 1 winners and a market leader teeing himself up for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
A Race He Can’t Win?
Rewind to January 2025, and the prospect of Constitution Hill lining up in a Group 3 all-weather contest would have stretched the realms of credibility. Back then, the Blue Bresil gelding had just extended his unbeaten run to 10 with a comfortable victory in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. An eight-time Grade 1 winner, including monstrous performances in the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 2023 Champion Hurdle, he looked set to reclaim his position as the king of the two-mile hurdle division following an injury-plagued 2024.
And then it all went wrong. Falling for the first time in his career in the 2025 Champion Hurdle, he then hit the deck again in the Aintree Hurdle before finishing a well-beaten fifth of six in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. Hope sprang anew on his return in the 2025 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, only for his newly erratic jumping to bring him down at the second hurdle. That represented the final straw for connections. Unwilling to put the horse, or their nerves, through another jumps contest, the decision was made to switch a nine-year-old Constitution Hill to the Flat.
Thus far, Constitution Hill appears to be enjoying life and the winning feeling once more. Making his Flat debut in a Southwell novice in February 2026, he oozed star quality on his way to a resounding nine-and-a-half-length romp. He wasn’t quite as impressive next time out in a Class 3 contest at Kempton but still displayed a good turn of foot to score by two lengths.
Off the track for five months following that latest win, Constitution Hill was due to return in the Listed August Stakes at Windsor on Saturday 29 August. However, with concerns regarding the ground and jockey availability, connections have handed the star a more searching assignment in what looks like a hot renewal of the September Stakes.
Will Constitution Hill be up to the task? The man who knows him best certainly doesn’t think so. Looking ahead to the race, Henderson noted he was keen to get it out of the way and “start to make sensible plans, rather than running in a race he can’t win. He’s not going to go out and beat Group 1 horses, that’s for sure.”
Billy Loughnane Takes the Ride
Reigning champion jockey Oisin Murphy rode Constitution Hill on his flat debut at Southwell, while Ryan Moore took over in the saddle on his most recent outing. Henderson had hoped to secure the services of a rider familiar with the horse but, with Moore riding for Aidan O’Brien and Willie Mullins in the US, and Murphy already booked to partner Tornado Alert in the September Stakes, he has been forced to look elsewhere.
The man to get the nod is the current jockeys’ championship leader, Billy Loughnane. With 177 wins on the board, including a Group 1 treble aboard Bow Echo, the 20-year-old is enjoying a memorable 2026. Henderson may think he is up against it, but Loughnane has proven he is the man for the big occasion and can be trusted to get the best out of Constitution Hill on the day.
Huge Task on Ratings
One look at the official ratings and it’s easy to understand Henderson’s lack of confidence ahead of this assignment. Of the 14 runners remaining in the September Stakes, Constitution Hill shares the joint-lowest flat rating of 101. Making only his third Flat start, Constitution Hill has every chance of improving that mark, but he will need to if he is to conquer a field which may include:
- Gethin – Sporting the Wathnan Racing silks and representing trainer Owen Burrows, Gethin is looking to bounce back from a flop in the Coral-Eclipse. Before that effort, he had lost out by just a neck to Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes. Already a winner at Kempton, he has the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as his big autumn target
- Bay City Roller – Sitting on a mark of 124, this George Scott runner heads the field on ratings. He is also one of only two Group 1 winners among the entries, having landed the 2025 Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern and the 2026 Coronation Cup. Another Arc hopeful, he rates a huge threat to all if taking up this engagement rather than the Prix Foy on Sunday afternoon
- Pride Of Arras – Ralph Beckett won the September Stakes for the first, and so far only, time in 2017. Nine years on, he seeks to double his tally with this dual Group 2 winner. Last sighted chasing Item home in the City of York Stakes, he is proven over this trip and is rated 13 pounds higher than Constitution Hill
- Tornado Alert – The second Group 1 winner in the field represents Saeed bin Suroor and has the services of champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the saddle. Having finished a respectable fourth in the 2,000 Guineas in 2025, Tornado Alert earned his top-tier success in Germany. Only losing out by a length in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin last time, he could go well for the boys in blue of Godolphin
Despite what the ratings and his trainer suggest, punters are keeping the faith with Constitution Hill. Initially priced at 12/1 when confirmed for the race, he is now around 5/1 for September Stakes success.