Constitution Hill rated inferior to Faugheen as 2022-23 jumps rankings revealed

Jumps superstar Constitution Hill has been rated the best hurdler since the mighty Faugheen following the 2022-23 season.

On Wednesday, the official end-of-term rankings were revealed and Constitution Hill, who swept through the campaign winning the Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle, Champion Hurdle and Aintree Hurdle, weighed in at 175 – 10lb clear of the classy State Man, who bagged four Irish Grade 1s but was nine lengths behind Michael Buckley's darling at Cheltenham.

However, Constitution Hill, who is trained in Lambourn by Nicky Henderson, still ranks 1lb inferior to Faugheen, who achieved a mark of 176 in the 2015-16 season. That is the same figure awarded to three-time Champion Hurdle hero Istabraq in 2000 and 2001.

The Anglo-Irish classifications go back to 1999 and Hurricane Fly in 2013 is the only other hurdler to hit 175.

The leading novice hurdler in Britain or Ireland last season was Impaire Et Passe, the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle winner who went on to land Punchestown's Champion Novice Hurdle.

Impaire Et Passe: last season's leading novice hurdler

He was rated 160, putting him on a par with Appreciate It, Klassical Dream and Altior after their novice hurdling stints.

Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs came out top overall and of the chasers with a mark of 179, which does not match the 180 achieved by the race's previous winner A Plus Tard in 2022.

Energumene, a Willie Mullins-trained stablemate of Galopin Des Champs, won Champion Chases at Cheltenham and Punchestown and was second best on 175, 2lb above Shishkin, Britain's leading chaser who won the Ascot Chase and Bowl at Aintree.

El Fabiolo, whose three Grade 1 victories in the two-mile division include the Arkle, was the best novice chaser at 170, which only Coneygree, Vautour and Galopin Des Champs have eclipsed in the category.

Andrew Shaw, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's senior jumps handicapper, was impressed by Galopin Des Champs and Energumene, but sees a new kid on the block next season possibly troubling the latter.

"At only seven years of age he [Galopin Des Champs] has the potential to go on and win at least one more Gold Cup," Shaw said. "Energumene consolidated his position as the leading two-mile chaser with an emphatic ten-length victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. However, his chances of becoming the first horse since Badsworth Boy to win the race on three consecutive occasions will be seriously tested by stable companion El Fabiolo."

2022-23 jumps rankings

Chasers

Galopin Des Champs 179
Energumene 175
Shishkin 173
Bravemansgame 172
L'Homme Presse 170
El Fabiolo 170
Ahoy Senor 169
Edwardstone 169
Fastorslow 168
Greaneteen 168

Hurdlers

Constitution Hill 175
State Man 165
Sire Du Berlais 161
Klassical Dream 160
Teahupoo 160
Impaire Et Passe 160
Vauban 159
Dashel Drasher 159

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