THE JUMPERS ARE A-COMING, BAHRAIN FOR CONSTITUTION HILL & WILL THERE BE MELTDOWN.

It always brings me good cheer when the lead story on the front page of The Racing Post at this time of the year revolves around National Hunt. This morning it is Marine Nationale and Barry Connell's plans for him this season. It seems we will have to wait until Christmas to see him again. He is fit and well, though, something Marine Nationale has a habit of not being, with the wait till Christmas a strategy to have him fresh for the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham. There is always the risk factor in delaying the return of a Group 1 horse until mid-season as all it takes is for the weather to close in over the Christmas period or for the horse to fall at the first fence and suddenly connections are on the back foot and with 2-mile chasers there is very little alternatives if Plan A is scuppered.

The 2-mile chase division at the moment is quite open, which is easy to say when we have not even reached October. Il Etait Temps is currently favourite at 5/2, with stable companions Kopek Des Bordes and Kargese next in the betting, followed by the enigmatic Majborough. It is a strong division for Willie Mullins, obviously, and it is difficult to name a horse trained by anyone else, with the exception of Marine Nationale, to trouble him. It is just comforting to have the jumpers sharing the narrative again, even with so many big flat races on the horizon.

Horse racing in Britain at the moment has only one superstar, so it is no wonder Constitution Hill occupies so much space in The Racing Post and in the racing media per se. People enjoy watching him on the flat as much as when he was jumping hurdles and we need to embrace his presence as at nine-years-of-age there is now an ever receding window of opportunity to enjoy him. I may believe they are going down the wrong route with him but that is what is so enjoyable about him. He sparks conversation; he excites opinion. Those who think he should be retired are in the minority and should, in my opinion, shut their gobs. I do not share the belief of many that Constitution Hill was one of the great hurdlers of my lifetime. He could have been; he should have been. But the falls downgrade him, as does the quality of the opposition that could not lay a glove on him. But that does not prevent him from being described as a great horse, a term I always use when writing about him.

Next for 'the great horse' is either the Cumberland Lodge at Ascot or the St. Simon Stakes at Newbury. Personally, if the ground were suitable, I would aim him at both. He is nine; he is hardy; he should be able to take two races in quick succession. In the past a horse might run in two races on the same day. Many horses will run twice in two-days, running better the second day than the first. I would like, though, the same jockey riding him from now on, which is why I would like to see Rob Hornby on top. It is all very well wanting the best available but at this time in the season Moore, Murphy and Loughnane are busy, with commitments in many parts of the world. After, Ascot or Newbury, Nicky s being persuaded towards the Gulf of Bahrain Cup, a 14-furlong race in the heat of the desert. This is one aspect of the Constitution Hill story that I do not like, this determination to take the horse halfway around the world in search of pots of gold. Outside of Michael Buckley's ownership of the horse, the horse belongs to the spectators who have supported him down the years and, as with Dawn Run, in taking him to foreign parts there is always the risk of him never coming back.

Joseph O'Brien, a modest man who takes one day at a time, who always understates his own achievements, is taking ten-horses down to Australia with plans to run each and everyone of them in the Melbourne Cup. This might be good news for Saffie Osborne, the St. Leger winning jockeys - that will never get old for her - as though she may not get the leg-up on Highwayman, I think it a near certainty that Joseph will provide her with a ride on one of his other runners. But can you imagine if Joseph gets all ten into the race; the meltdown it might cause with local trainers unable to have a runner due to Joseph having nearly half the runners. Personally, I do not think it should be allowed, not in Australia or in Britain and Ireland. Although when Willie Mullins has multiple runners in a race it provides a competitive race which it might not be if he were restricted to two-runners, for example, a restrictive rule might persuade owners to spread their horses around more, allowing more trainers to make a better living. On this occasion, though, it might be fun to see the reaction of native trainers if Joseph turns-up mob-handed. He may be popular wherever he goes but if he dominates the Melborne Cup as he has many tops races in recent years, the Aussies will find it very hard to just grin and bear it.