Preview of the new National Hunt season

Gratitude for you

Thanks, Howdi

Oliver Brett on C4

Champion trainer Nicky Henderson says his star chaser Sprinter Sacre is “looking absolutely fantastic” as he prepares the gelding for another assault on top prizes this coming winter.

But he warns the seven-year-old gelding’s growing legion of admirers to steer clear of the ante-post King George market, despite Sprinter Sacre being as short as 6-4 favourite for the Kempton Boxing Day feature.

In an exclusive interview with Channel 4 Racing, Henderson said: “They can put him in the betting all they like but it’s daylight robbery if they’re going to convince anyone to back him because he won’t even be entered.”

Instead, Sprinter Sacre, undefeated in 10 races over fences, is likely to take in an identical programme to last season – Tingle Creek, Victor Chandler and Queen Mother Champion Chase.

The horse had his first canter on Tuesday alongside defending Cheltenham Gold Cup champ Bobs Worth – “I call it a canter, but I could run faster myself”, joked Henderson – and he’s well aware how important it is for the sport that Sprinter Sacre remains a racing superstar through the 2013-14 season.

“Good horses are good for racing, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Nobody enjoyed Frankel or Sea The Stars more than I did. People who love racing love good horses, that’s what it’s all about. For all the great days out for Sprinter last year, the staggering one was Punchestown [when he signed off his imperious season with a win in the ****.com Champion Chase].

“It was the most extraordinary experience. Ireland is a great country and they love their horses there. The welcome and the reception they gave us afterwards was just unbelievable. They said it was one of the greatest days they had ever seen, and it was.”

Henderson is as confident as he can be at this stage of Sprinter Sacre having another outstanding season, but warns: “You know as well as I do that everything hinges on everything going well. They are fickle creatures, and you’ve got to be lucky.”

Bobs Worth only raced twice last year, though he won each time, taking the Hennessy Gold Cup before winning the Cheltenham feature itself. The light campaign was in no way intentional. “It was one bad tracheal wash and some bloody awful weather. He probably never really reached peak fitness last season. We were going to run him and a lot of the other top horses much more but the winter set us back.”

The Arkle winner Simonsig is another who will be primed for major prizes, and Henderson would prefer to avoid any potential clashes between him and Sprinter Sacre. “He’s a very easy horse to train in one sense in that he doesn’t need a lot of work and he’s very good at it. But he’s very susceptible to getting lots of infections at the wrong time. Three weeks before the Cheltenham Festival he was absolutely flying, then the week before he wasn’t quite right and he was very messy on the day itself, but yes, he won because he is that good.

“He started at over 2m 3f last year, and he won the Neptune the year before that. It all tells you he stays and I wouldn’t rule him out of the King George. Otherwise he’s going to have to go straight in and take on Sprinter Sacre which would be quite a pity.

Henderson’s embarrassment of riches includes Long Run, the two-time winner of the King George who will almost certainly defend his title again this Christmas. But Bobs Worth is unlikely to head to Kempton.

“It’s not a good track for Bobs Worth, who loves going left-handed and loves Cheltenham,” says Henderson. The Betfair Chase and the Charlie Hall Chase are the obvious prep races for Long Run and Bobs Worth, though neither horse is likely to tackle both of them.

The winter is still some way off, but right now there is plenty of excitement at Seven Barrows regarding the brilliantly versatile Forgotten Voice, who has already enjoyed a spectacular summer in which he won Royal Ascot’s Wolferton Handicap and a Group 3 at Glorious Goodwood over a mile and a half.

Forgotten Voice has the ability to be a Champion Hurdle horse


“He’s being prepared for a trip to Australia. He’s in the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup,” says Henderson. “I was talking to his jockey Johnny Murtagh and we think there’s nothing left for him much in England this year. He’s in good form, and goes on top of the ground. He used to be a miler but it took Barry Geraghty three races to get him to race our way. We’ve probably slowed him down but we taught him to race differently and Johnny said he’d rather ride him in the Melbourne Cup than a horse that gets two miles.”

That last comment may seem strange given that two miles is the exact distance of the Melbourne Cup, but so far Forgotten Voice has done just about everything asked of him. “We are seriously discussing it at the moment,” adds Henderson. “The paperwork is being prepared and we are intending to travel.”

Fascinatingly, this is a horse who won three novice hurdles as well last season, and his trainer refuses to rule out a possible tilt at a Champion Hurdle at some stage of his career.

“When he won the Dovecote at Kempton last February he was seriously impressive. But on the other hand as soon as they watered Aintree, which they did, My Tent Or Yours [yet another Henderson horse] absolutely hammered him. He wouldn’t have been beaten that easily if they hadn’t watered.

“The chances of him ever getting his ground in the Champion Hurdle are remote but he has the ability to be a Champion Hurdle horse. He jumps fences too, but I don’t think his owners would ever let me go chasing with him!”

In April, after a string of close defeats to Paul Nicholls, Henderson won his first trainers’ title since 1987, and he is determined not to relinquish it.

“I’ve still got the hunger, I want to go and win every bloody race there is and we’ve got a very strong team, both equine and human. It’s just about sorting out who does what and where they go. Oscar Whisky will go over fences. My Tent or Yours will have to come in as a Champion Hurdle horse, and Grandouet is one of those two. There’s an awful lot of good ones for those races and some good youngsters too.

“We just want to have a good year, but I don’t think Paul is going to lie down just like that. He’ll be trying like hell and we’ll also have Willie Mullins to contend with too. Imagine what he’s going to bring over here. It’ll make it difficult for us.”

Difficult yes, but given this latest clean bill of health among his proven stable stars, the Ladbroke’s price of 1-5 about him retaining his champion trainer title seems about right.

^^^ formulite of the year imo

Any word on Ambion Wood?

Ta.