Lambourn legend Henderson targets ninth Champion Hurdle triumph
Six-time Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson is confident of another successful National Hunt season as he once again goes in search of British racing’s top prizes.
Henderson said: “We’ve got a good solid team, we’ve got plenty of star players and a few good ones sat on the subs bench, we're hopeful.”
The star of Henderson’s Lambourn stables is undoubtably the unbeaten Constitution Hill, who won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March in such impressive fashion that it moved him to tears.
Now the five-year-old, who was awarded a record mark for a novice hurdler in the Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications in May, is set to do battle with two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle in one of racing’s most anticipated contests.
The effervescent trainer is looking to plot a course that will enhance Constitution Hill’s chances of denying Henry de Bromhead’s thus far unbeatable mare a third successive Champion Hurdle.
“It's still a little bit up in the air, he’ll either start in the Ascot Hurdle or the Fighting Fifth,” Henderson said.
“We haven’t got too many options, it’s all about timings.
“I’d like to run him in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, we'll see, there’s no definitive plan just yet.”
Runner up to Constitution Hill at Cheltenham, 22 lengths behind, was Henderson’s Jonbon, who now looks set to take on the Arkle, a race Henderson has won seven times.
Henderson said: “He’s a fine horse, had it not been for Constitution Hill we’d be talking about a Supreme winner here.
“He’ll go novice chasing now, we want to keep him and Constitution Hill apart.
“He’s very athletic, I think he’ll be a force, he's very good.
“He’s unfortunate he turned up the same year as Constitution Hill, it’s rather like when we had Buveur d’Air and Altior.
“It’s not the worst problem to have.”
Henderson also points to No Ordinary Joe, who won at Southwell and Worcester last year, as an exciting prospect.
“He’s an entertaining horse, talented, not always the easiest to train but when he’s good, he’s good,” he said.
The Bomber Liston and Balco Coastal both look set to improve, while Henderson is tipping City Chief for an exciting debut season.
Henderson said: “The Bomber Liston’s another talented horse, much like No Ordinary Joe, he’s got talent but he’s got a few issues.
“He’s a bit fragile, so it’s about keeping him in shape and avoiding too many niggles.
“I think City Chief could be a high-class chaser, you’d want to be thinking about Balco Coastal too.”
As for any thoughts of retirement? No chance.
“I still enjoy it just as much as I always have, that’s the most important thing,” he said.
“When you’ve got horses like we’ve got, it’s impossible not to.”