Rossa Ryan has been called up to partner Constitution Hill for his Italian mission on Sunday in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club.
Trainer Nicky Henderson had indicated that Oisin Murphy would be reunited with the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner, having ridden him to his first win on the Flat at Southwell in February. However, there has been a change of plan. With plenty of rain due in Italy, Constitution Hill's back-up option at Newbury in Saturday's St Simon Stakes now looks like it will be just that, with everything pointing towards an outing at San Siro.
"It's a bit of a mad one," Ryan told Sky Sports Racing at Yarmouth on Tuesday. "I was in Milan last weekend and Nicky rang me to see what the ground was like yesterday morning, then he rang me back yesterday evening to see if I could ride him, so it's a great opportunity."
Ryan admitted he had never ridden the horse before. "I literally got the phone call last night so I've never ridden him. He's popular for sure. San Siro is just like Yarmouth, just the other way around. I was reading that between Wednesday and Thursday they are due 52mm of rain, so it will be proper soft ground." She added that it looks a strong race on paper and that the horse will have a chance, noting that Murphy had said the softer the ground, the better.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing