Nicky Henderson Stable Tour

Form profile

154 rated chaser. Scored by six and a half lengths from Our Power in a handicap chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day off a mark of 149 and subsequently fifth, beaten 30 lengths, to L’Homme Presse in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham (3m 1 1/2f) at the end of January.

Trainer says

He will go for the Ultima Handicap. He is in good form, and he was due to go hunter chasing and then we won a good race with him.

Form profile

175 rated hurdler. Formidable hurdler who is unbeaten in ten starts under Rules. Was confined to one run over hurdles last season which resulted in a nine and a half-length victory in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton (2m) but galloped unsatisfactorily before his intended bid to win a second Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and missed the race. Subsequently had a wind operation and returned in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton (2m) to score easily by two and a half lengths from Lossiemouth. Followed up with an easy three length victory from Brentford Hope in the Grade 2 Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham (2m 1f) in January after overcoming a rare mistake at the last.

Trainer says

It didn’t start that well in that we had to miss the Fighting Fifth, but everything has been great since. He came back in the Christmas Hurdle, and we thought that if there was ever a time he would be beaten it would be then. I hated Cheltenham the other day as it nearly killed me. We went into Kempton thinking we half could be beaten and then we would be fine for March. He was good at Kempton, but Cheltenham was a no-win situation. If he did something, which as it turned out he did, so Cheltenham was a lot more pressure, but he did win and, apart from smashing through the last, he did it very well. We walked away from Kempton thinking we didn’t have to run him again before March, but he came back a week later and was so well in himself and he looked fantastic. I suspect I surprised everybody when we ran him at Cheltenham. We have three weeks to go, and his work is still the same and he looks in great shape. Nico will have a sit on him in the week and we will see where he is and how he feels. I suppose he will have to jump a hurdle at some stage just to eliminate that memory of that last hurdle. I don’t know what he did really as I have watched the replay a few times and it’s hard to work out exactly what he did. There should be plenty of pace in the Champion Hurdle if Brighterdaysahead goes in the race and the one good thing is that Constitution Hill can travel off any pace. He can travel at a very high pace, and he has bags of pace. In the Champion Hurdle two years ago, he did something similar at the last and a lot of horses would have fallen the other day, but he found a leg and galloped off as he was still a fresh horse, but I’d rather he didn’t do it again.

Form profile

126 rated hurdler. Back to something like his best when runner-up, beaten two and a quarter lengths to One Big Bang in a Pertemps Qualifier at Haydock (3m 1/2f) on Saturday.

Trainer says

I like the way he ran at Haydock on Saturday, and he will be one of my four entries for the Pertemps Final. I like the way Doddie finished his race on Saturday, that was great and he booked his ticket.

Form profile

129 rated hurdler. Has won his last two starts, scored by a head from Double Powerful in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Ascot (2m 5 1/2f) in December off a mark of 123 and followed up off the same mark in a handicap hurdle at Kempton (2m 5f) six days later.

Trainer says

He will go for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. Freddie (Gordon) has won on him twice so it’s a job to keep them together. He won at Ascot and Kempton in the space of seven days and I won’t take the credit for it as I was on my way to Ascot for the boys' race and Jerry McGrath rang me up and said why don’t you put East India Express in at Kempton next Saturday. I said why would I want to do that, and he said when it wins at Ascot you won’t get a penalty next weekend. I said but he won’t win at Ascot, you never know, says Jerry. I thought Jerry knows a lot more that going on in the yard than I do! He is very well and, hopefully, holds a solid chance.

Form profile

144 rated chaser. Finished third, beaten a length and three quarters, to Don’t Rightly Know in a Mares’ Listed Chase at Newbury (2m 7 1/2f) in January.

Trainer says

She won’t get in the Grand National and the handicapper has decided to drop her 2lb which means she can get in the Kim Muir which is 0-145.

Form profile

141 rated hurdler. Made a winning reappearance at Newbury (2m 4 1/2f) in November when beating Guard The Moon a length and a quarter off a mark of 134.

Trainer says

He goes for the Coral Cup or the Martin Pipe. He won well at Newbury, and he was chasing the Lanzarote Hurdle but that was off and that was his race. If that was his race, then so is the Coral Cup.

Form profile

153 rated chaser. Has looked an even better chaser than he was a hurdler and impressed when scoring by six and a half lengths from Springwell Bay on his debut in a novices’ chase at Cheltenham (2m 4 ½f) in December. Put up another cracking performance when runner-up, beaten a short head, to Handstands in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown (2m 4f) this month.

Trainer says

The Arkle would be our line of argument at the moment. Our original plan was that he was a two-and-a-half-mile horse, but I think he is more likely to down in trip rather than up. I am sure he will stay three miles, and the dilemma is that the two and a half mile chase has been taken away the year we have a horse for it. They go a good gallop in the Arkle and that will suit him perfectly. I thought he was very good at Sandown the other day and he was only beaten a short head in desperate ground. He jumped beautifully and was very accurate and he has pace. Better ground will suit him, and Sir Gino has left the door open for him.

Form profile

151 rated chaser. Impressed when beating Hashtag Boum nine and a half lengths on his chasing bow in a novices’ handicap at Uttoxeter (2m 4f) in December off a mark of 140 and followed up with a two and a quarter lengths victory from Lowry’s Bar in the Grade 2 Hampton Novices’ Chase at Windsor (3m) in January. Sprawled on landing at the third and unseated his rider in Saturday’s Grade 2 Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot (3m).

Trainer says

Saturday put a spanner in the works for him and we are going to put him in the Pendil at the weekend. You wouldn’t want to go to the Brown Advisory on the back of when happened at Ascot. It’s only two and a half miles and I wanted to go three to see what stamina was there. I can’t run him in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase as he was too high and he needs three runs to run in a handicap.

Form profile

171 rated chaser. Has won 17 of his 20 starts and unbeaten in three runs this season. Won the Grade 2 Shloer Chase at Cheltenham (2m) in November for a second time when beating Boothill a length and a half and followed up with an eight-length success from Quilixios when landing the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown (1m 7 1/2f) in December for a second occasion. Put up another stellar performance when beating Energumene six and a half lengths in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot (2m 1f) in January.

Trainer says

He was very good at Ascot the other day and he has now won eight Grade 1s. He is an entertaining character too and he can’t stand still for two minutes where Constitution Hill could stand still for two days. He did nothing wrong last year but for making one mistake in the Clarence House when it was run at Cheltenham, and he couldn’t go to the Champion Chase which turned out to be a bit flat as El Fabiolo was intent on putting holes in fences and it turned into a bit of a flop really. If he had been there you would have to say it wouldn’t have been the hardest race he ever had, but he wasn’t there. You have to win the Champion Chase to be a champion, and he deserves to.

Form profile

153 rated hurdler. Has looked an improved performer this season and has won both his starts. Scored by a length from Blueking d’Oroux in the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle at Ascot (2m 3 1/2f) in November and followed up with a three quarter length victory from Gowel Road in the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham (2m 4 1/2f) on New Year’s Day.

Trainer says

He would be very high on my list as one of my main contenders. He started the year meaning to go novice chasing and he was all schooled up and ready to go. At the time we had a whole string of novice chasers ready to go and three of them have finished up going back over hurdles as there wasn’t the opportunity for them to go over fences. At the last minute I popped him in the Ascot Hurdle as there was nowhere else to go and he is a very likeable uncomplicated horse. He has a great attitude, and we are taking the stamina on trial but the form of when he won has worked out well. He has pretty solid form and with him we didn’t need to test him over three miles before the Stayers’ Hurdle. If you go on Trials Day over three miles you are definitely going to get a hard race. We trust his stamina and we are happy to find out on the day. He is working really well and is in good order.

Form profile

Winner of a three-year-old hurdle at Auteuil (2m 2f) in October and mightily impressive on his stable debut at Ascot (1m 7 1/2f) in January when beating Mondo Man three and a half lengths.

Trainer says

He is terribly well and would have to have a racecourse gallop, so we are considering running him in the Adonis. He has only had two runs in his life, but he and Palladium will work tomorrow, and we will decide. He looks very good, is very laid back and has a lovely attitude. He is a big scopey horse and you could see him jumping a fence next year.

Form profile

143 rated chaser. Has finished runner-up in his two cross country chases. Beaten six and a half lengths by Sweet David at Cheltenham (3m 5 1/2f) in November off a mark of 142 and a length by Stumptown at Cheltenham (3m 5f) in December off a mark of 140.

Trainer says

He is in very good form. He was doing great and ran that great race in the 2023 Grand National and galloped until he dropped away that day. When you get down too low in the well, it takes time for them to get over it. We were going to retire him, and I said we have two games up our sleeve - we go hunter chasing or cross country and one of them might re-ignite the flame. He has run two really good races, and is loving it.

Form profile

Winner of the Group 1 German Derby at Hamburg (1m 4f) last July and made a winning debut over hurdles for the stable when scoring by two lengths from Wolf Moon at Huntingdon (2m) in January.

Trainer says

He will be entered for the Adonis, and we will work him tomorrow and decide. The Huntingdon form has turned out to be red hot and the time of the race was fantastic. It was six seconds faster than the second division and the second and fourth have won since. The way he has been working and schooling we have to ask ourselves does he really need to go to Kempton. He has done a mountain of racing, and we don’t know whether he needs to go but we will see. He has been terrific all the way through, and he has a fantastic temperament.

Form profile

131 rated hurdler. Finished fifth, beaten ten lengths, to Irish Hill, in a handicap hurdle at Warwick this month. Had previously finished runner-up, beaten two and three quarter lengths, to Super Survivor in a Pertemps Qualifier at Huntingdon (3m 1f) in January off a mark of 129.

Trainer says

I like the way Shanagh Bob ran at Huntingdon, and he would be another of my contenders for the Pertemps Final. He then had to have another run and that bought his ticket to Cheltenham.

Form profile

131 rated chaser. Scored by a length and a half from Imperil in a handicap chase at Newbury (2m 6 1/2f) in November off a mark of 125 and subsequently sixth, beaten six and a quarter lengths, to Victtorino in a Grade 3 Handicap Chase at Ascot (3m) on Saturday.

Trainer says

I was pleased with the way he ran as Ascot on Saturday, and he will go for the Kim Muir.