Four of Nico de Boinville's best rides at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival

While he might not have a book of rides capable of stopping Paul Townend from retaining the Ruby Walsh Trophy and see him land the top jockey award for a second time in his career, Nico de Boinville still has some fantastic mounts at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival — none more so that Constitution Hill.

De Boinville and trainer Nicky Henderson, who is the second favourite behind Townend’s boss Willie Mullins in the Cheltenham top trainers betting odds, are a formidable pair though and they look capable of putting on their best challenge in some years when you look at the entries for some of the Festival’s biggest races.

That said, read on as we take a look at four of De Boinville’s best rides at Cheltenham this year.

Constitution Hill

Kicking off with Constitution Hill, of course, every jumps jockey in the United Kingdom and Ireland wish they could take this ride in the Champion Hurdle. De Boinville is the lucky one however, and the freakish six-year-old should have absolutely no issues flying around the new course to a dominant victory once again.

Nobody has got within 12 lengths of Constitution Hill in his five runs over hurdles, and while Stateman comes across the Irish Sea as something of an unknown challenger as opposed to his initial rival Honeysuckle, we still believe the Henderson-trained horse is unbeatable.

Jonbon

Going back on ourselves to the race before the Champion Hurdle, another pair of Henderson and Mullins runners are found at the fore of the market for the Arkle. Only this time, there isn’t much separating El Fabiolo and Jonbon in the ante-post odds.

The duo of fantastic chasers are both unbeaten over fences this season, with El Fabiolo winning by 19 lengths on reappearance before landing the Irish Arkle by 10 lengths at the Dublin Racing Festival. Jonbon, on the other hand, is three for three with Grade 1 and Grade 2 wins in his last couple of outings.

Only a neck separated them when Jonbon won the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree last year, and while that was over different obstacles, this is shaping up to be just as close.

Shishkin

A name not many would have expected to feature on this list even a month ago, Shishkin disappointed in last year’s Champion Chase — pulling up in his rematch with Energumene with what later turned out to be a rare bone disease.

When he eventually returned at Sandown in December and was well beaten by Edwardstone in the Betfair Tingle Creek, Shishkin still looked like a shadow of the horse that won 10 straight from January 2020 to January 2022.

However, a wind operation and a step up in trip to 2m5f later and Shishkin is back! The nine-year-old romped home by 16 lengths in the Ascot Chase in mid-February and is now one of the bankers of the week as he’s gone odds-on for the Ryanair Chase in the absence of dual winner Allaho.

Luccia

An exciting young mare who’s gone unbeaten in her four races under rules to date, Luccia is the favourite for the Grade 2 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on the penultimate day of the Festival. The Henderson-trained five-year-old won two bumpers last year before switching to obstacles this season and has no issues thus far.

She won a Listed Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on reappearance in November under James Bowen and added to that with another Listed success at Exeter in February — this time beating the boys in a Novices’ Hurdle with De Boinville at the reins.

That victory had many urging Luccia to go back up against the boys in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which she is a 6/1 shot to win. But the betting indicates that the connections will be sticking with the Grade Mares’ race, where she is a short 3/2.