‘It’s a possibility, not a probability’: The Melbourne Cup fairytale that won’t die

It’s the most unlikely Melbourne Cup story that just won’t go away.

Will UK jumping great – the 9-year-old Constitution Hill – make the most unusual Melbourne Cup bid?

The champion hurdler has now retired from the jumps and is concentrating on a flat career, feeding speculation he might have a crack at the famous 3200m race at Flemington in November.

It was also revealed earlier this week Racing Victoria had visited trainer Nicky Henderson to lobby for the ageing star to visit Melbourne.

Sky Sports host Matt Chapman appears to not believe the hype given his overnight interview with the horses owner, Michael Buckley.

“There was a story in the week about Constitution Hill and the Melbourne Cup, which I felt the headline didn’t reflect the story at all. You don’t really believe that Constitution Hill would pass all the tests to run in the Melbourne Cup, do you? Physically?,” Chapman asked.

“Yes,” was Buckley’s reply.

“You do?” Chapman asked again, to which a confident Buckley doubled down.

“I do. Hundred percent. Yes.”

“You’d have to go through them all, but I do. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him.”

The oddity about him is that he doesn’t trot well, but then in England [trainer] Nicky [Henderson] often sends a video of him trotting at home to Cheltenham and other places to make sure they understand that’s his normal way of trotting.

“Cause some people just ban horses on their trot, but no, as far as I know, he’d be fine.”

Again, Chapman probed.

“So you genuinely think it’s a possibility?,” he asked.

“[I’m] saying I think it’s a possibility, I’m not saying it’s a probability. But I mean, it was in Nicky’s mind in that the guy who from the Melbourne Cup went down to talk him through it last Monday. So it was sort of in his head.”

“But I mean, there’s a long way from here to there. It’s not eligible for it yet physically.”

Constitution Hill is still a $18 chance for the Melbourne Cup with the TAB.

Q: “You don’t really believe Constitution Hill would pass the tests to run in the Melbourne Cup, do you?”

Michael Buckley: “Yes, I do” @MCYeeehaaa | @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/HL0ZePIOUE

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 17, 2026