Constitution Hill and Shishkin have night on the town at Doncaster after Nicky Henderson calls for help with stranded stars

Imagine taking a call from Nicky Henderson asking you to look after Constitution Hill and Shishkin for the night.

That was the fortunate position Doncaster's clerk of the course Paul Barker was in on Friday afternoon when two of jump racing's biggest stars were left stranded following the abandonment of Newcastle's Saturday card.

The Henderson horsebox was heading north – close to Wetherby – when news broke of the cancellation and, following a lengthy journey from Lambourn, the trainer needed a place for his stars to stay and made the call to Doncaster.

Barker gave an immediate 'yes' and the horses spent the night in the racecourse stables at Town Moor, being attended to by members of the Seven Barrows team and Doncaster staff. They were back on the road home at 7am on Saturday morning.

Shishkin (left) and Constitution Hill: spent the night at Doncaster racecourse

"The yard rang me and I couldn't say yes much quicker," Barker said. "It was quite a bizarre call to get but I was more than happy to take Constitution Hill and Shishkin for the night.

"They got here about 4.30pm on Friday and I managed to get to see both of them. They're two really nice horses and were relaxed in their stables. 

"It was great to have them at Doncaster, even if we probably won't see them on the racecourse here. I was very happy to be a willing participant and let them stay after the unfortunate abandonment at Newcastle."

Their appearance came as Doncaster was busy preparing for racing on Saturday. The meeting survived a second inspection on Saturday morning after the course was covered overnight to protect it from frost with temperatures dropping to -4.7C.

Barker added: "It was very cold this morning and we needed to be sure we'd get positive temperatures and some sun before we got the fleece off. It takes about two and a half hours so it needed to happen in time for racing. The sun is high in the sky and we're good to go."

The BHA confirmed on Friday that the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth would be rescheduled for Sandown next weekend and Henderson suggested Shishkin could use that as a prep race for the King George, with Constitution Hill's participation set to be decided after consultation with his owner Michael Buckley.

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