Cheltenham Countdown: Henderson fighting back after flu jab

“Simon (Claisse, Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham) has very kindly said that he’s talking to the BHA at the moment, and they have decided to put Cheltenham back by two weeks, because they reckon it’s unfair on us. So, we’ll come back in a fortnight and then I’ll tell you how it’s going?”

Nicky Henderson may have kicked off proceedings at his Seven Barrows base with a joke, but the fact that the ‘nuisance’ of the equine influenza outbreak was his unprompted, first port of call, when there were the potential history-makers Altior and Buveur d’Air waiting to be discussed, betrayed that the events of the last 10 days or so have been no laughing matter.

Indeed, it was a full 15 minutes before attentions turned to the leading men, rather than the issue that had threatened to bring the curtain down before the show had even begun. And, while that crisis now seems to have been averted, Henderson was clearly still bemused by the rule change that was born from it – the one that dictates all horses must now be vaccinated in the six months before stepping foot on a racecourse, instead of 12, and the one that consequently saw many of Henderson’s potential stars miss key rehearsals at the weekend.

Santini, who has eased as favourite for the RSA Chase, and Verdana Blue are amongst those who were forced to miss key engagements having not been given the necessary vaccinations at the appropriate time. A racecourse gallop and the opportunity to jump some fences is seemingly the most that Santini can now hope for in terms of ‘match practice’ for Cheltenham, while Henderson described Verdana Blue being unable to run in the Fast-Track Qualifier at Kempton on Saturday as ‘one of the most frustrating losses we’ve had from this whole thing’.

The strong-travelling mare had two big targets in the spring, the Champion Hurdle and the Marathon on All-Weather Finals Day, but her preparation for the former has now been severely compromised, while the other is off the table altogether – she is currently ineligible for a run in the Marathon, and will likely spend Good Friday greeting visitors to the Lambourn Open Day instead.

Whether she will do so as a Champion Hurdle winner remains to be seen, but she does already have one win over the reigning champion Buveur d’Air to her name, when edging him out in a pulsating finish to the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day.

For his part, Henderson expressed an opinion that the Christmas Hurdle was a ‘funny’ race, in which the runner-up was not seen to best effect. He clearly expects to see a different Buveur d’Air at next month’s Festival; not only to the one we saw at Kempton, but also to the one that scraped home from Melon in last year’s Champion Hurdle, a win that sees him on the cusp of becoming only the sixth three-time winner of the opening day highlight.

“Buveur d’Air was not at his best on the day last year,” the trainer explained. “He wasn't impressive and I think he only won because of a certain amount of ability and quite a lot of guts. He's as tough as teak, but he didn't get over Cheltenham. It took him apart. Races normally don't affect him at all – you could run him again the next week – but he hadn't recovered in four weeks and so couldn't go anywhere near Aintree.”

@sevenbarrows considers the chances of Timeform's joint-top Highest Rated Hurdler, Buveur d'Air (167), ahead of the 2019 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham #Festival. pic.twitter.com/34EJPgjbfd

— Timeform (@Timeform) February 18, 2019

It is debatable whether Buveur d’Air has gained the credit that one would normally expect for a horse of his profile, and with the defeat at Kempton – his first since finishing third to Altior in the 2016 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – having possibly knocked him back in the public’s estimations once again, Henderson acknowledges that only a win in three weeks’ time is likely to change that.

“I suppose he’s got to do it to really establish himself, but it’s going to be tough. I’m sure it’s a better race than last year – these Irish mares (Apple’s Jade and Laurina) are going to represent stronger opposition. I still think and hope that he's the one to beat, and if you do win three Champion Hurdles, I really think that you are entitled to be admired and worshipped!”

One horse not short of admirers is the brilliant Altior, who is yet to taste defeat over jumps, and, having won the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in typically dominant fashion last time, now sits on the brink of matching Big Buck’s’ all-time record of 18 consecutive wins. There would be no finer stage than the Cheltenham Festival on which to do it, though Henderson admits that having an unbeaten record to protect only adds to the pressure.

“We're back in the Sprinter Sacre situation again, where anything bar a really good performance won't do, and it's not fair because lots of things can happen. It will be disappointing if it goes wrong but you're prepared for the fact it will go wrong one day. He can't go on forever. I know Winx can, but she's different! It's got to happen somewhere and I just hope it doesn't happen in the Champion Chase.”

@sevenbarrows discusses the future options for @Timeform's current Highest Rated Chaser, ALTIOR (180p), ahead of the 2019 Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham #Festival. pic.twitter.com/7jk4YEvXem

— Timeform (@Timeform) February 18, 2019

He may not be quite in Sprinter Sacre’s league yet, but Altior can at least lay claim to being Timeform’s highest-rated National Hunt performer in training on 180p. The ‘p’ denotes that he could yet prove capable of rating higher still, though with competition for his Champion Chase crown seemingly thin on the ground – he is generally a 5/2-on shot – Henderson concedes, albeit reluctantly, that it may take a change of direction (or distance) to find out exactly how high his current stable star could climb.

“There is a lot of people saying that he’ll never be a proper champion unless you explore different distances with him. They’re baying for him to go for the King George and things like that, and we might well try that, but let’s get just get over this year first. You’ve got a horse who is the champion over two miles, you could ask what is the point in stepping up? They’re worth the same and you don’t win the 100 metres at the Olympics and suddenly decide next year to run in the Marathon!”

The next Olympics take place in Tokyo in the summer of 2020, by which time Altior could well have three Champion Chase wins to his name. Or maybe even two Champion Chases and a Gold Cup? That would be entering fantasy land, but Henderson could be forgiven for dreaming for a few more years yet. Indeed, the future at Seven Barrows looks very bright, with a strong team of novice hurdlers heading to the Cheltenham Festival this year, several of whom will only be reaching their peak when Paris 2024 swings around.

Angel’s Breath. Mister Fisher. Champ. Champagne Platinum. Birchdale. The list goes on – and so will Henderson as long as they are around.

“I think the novice hurdlers are really, really good,” he beamed. “They are the future. When the Altiors and the Buveur d’Airs have retired, these are going to be the boys that I hope are going to be there for Arkles, Champion Chases and Gold Cups. It means that I’ve got to go on for longer and longer, because they will actually be at their best in three, four or five years’ time. So, I hope you’ll all be here because I intend to be!”

It will take more than a bout of flu to stop me…