Modest jockey Nico de Boinville deflects praise towards Tolworth Hurdle victor Constitution Hill

The mud-splattered horse’s victory in the Unibet Tolworth Hurdle could not have been more emphatic as the five-year-old, owned by the ever-enthusiastic Michael Buckley, surged clear up the Sandown hill on rain-drenched ground.

Justifiably, the horse is now vying with stablemate Jonbon, also unbeaten over hurdles, for favouritism for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first race of the Cheltenham Festival, in which British-trained runners will look to respond to Ireland’s recent dominance.

Yet what was overlooked, until it was pointed out by Racing TV broadcaster Nick Luck, was that the Tolworth triumph was the 30th Grade One success in the career of de Boinville who seamlessly became Henderson’s stable jockey when Barry Geraghty, one of National Hunt racing’s all-time greats, moved on.

And, for a well-spoken 32-year-old rider with 586 career winners to his name, it is a remarkable return and strike-rate at the highest level that is unsurpassed by any current jockey who is riding on this side of the Irish Sea.

De Boinville initially came to public attention as two-mile steeplechasing superstar Sprinter Sacre’s work rider before partnering Mark Bradstock’s Coneygree to victory in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton in December 2014, the jockey’s first Grade One success.

Still a novice, Coneygree then won the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham under de Boinville and this success, alongside the jockey’s Champion Chase victories aboard Sprinter Sacre and Altior for Henderson, remain career highlights.

And now the jockey, who dropped out of Newcastle University after six weeks to focus on riding and stable work, can look forward to further Grade One glory aboard the likes of Shishkin, the favourite for the Champion Chase, and Constitution Hill.

“This is some horse, quite an animal. I couldn’t believe when I looked round how far clear I was. He made very easy work of it. That ground was bottomless out there but he made light work of it,” said de Boinville following the Tolworth,

When asked to compare Constitution Hill with his previous Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winners Altior and Shishkin, de Boinville said: “He’s right up there.

“I love his disposition. Look at him, he’s so relaxed and like a pony. He just eats, sleeps and goes out like a pony. He wanders round at the start and does everything so easily. It was a great performance and I’m delighted. He is push-button to ride, honestly a jockey’s dream. I was blown away by that today.”

De Boinville later added: “He looked a special horse in that ground. I’m sorry the boss (Nicky Henderson) isn’t here – he says it a lot better than I will - but he was fantastic there today.

“He’s such a likeable horse. He answers every question and everything seems to be so easy for him. He’s always within his comfort zone, so it seems, and I think there’s a lot more to come. I believe there’s more to come.”

Asked if it was possible to compare Constitution Hill with stablemate and Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle main rival Jonbon, de Boinville went on: “Well I’m sure they’ll meet at Cheltenham, all being well, and that will be a great match-up.

“They’re very, very different horses, very different dispositions.

“But it’s exciting and exciting for the yard as well. It’s healthy competition. I think he’s very straightforward.”

Asked about future plans for Constitution Hill, de Boinville added: “I leave that to the powers that be. Michael, his owner, will have a say and he always has some good ideas and there’ll be a clash of ideas and we’ll see what happens. So no, I don’t know.”

It was Constitution Hill’s second victory at Sandown in little over a month and it was only after his victory at the track in December that connections appreciated just how good he can be. De Boinville went on: “We knew he was good from what he was doing at home but it’s always hard to see if it translates to the track. And he’s gone and done that now and then he’s backed it up, which is great to say. That was special.”

Meanwhile Henderson, speaking on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday programme, reported his latest star hurdler to be in fine fettle. “You’d hardly know he’d been anywhere yesterday – he looks as if he’d had a day in bed! That’s him – he’s as fresh as paint. He does it very quickly and very honestly. He loves schooling and loves work and has an extraordinary attitude to life.”

As does Nico de Boinville, the jockey never daunted by the big occasion.