Hot To Trot: Champion-elect Henderson finishing with a flourish

Jumps trainer: Nicky Henderson

Heading into the final week of the season, Nicky Henderson is well on his way to becoming champion trainer for the first time since 2012/13 and for the fourth time in all. He currently holds a lead of around £300,000 over reigning champion Paul Nicholls. Henderson is finishing the season with a flourish, and since Aintree, where the stable struck three times, there have been a further 10 winners for the yard from its last 23 runners, including another three at last week’s Cheltenham meeting. If taking up his engagement at Warwick on Monday, Hammersly Lake should find the novices’ handicap chase an easier assignment than his last run when pulled up, after meeting interference, in a similar event at the Cheltenham Festival, while the free-going front-runner Top Ville Ben has a good opportunity to return to winning ways from a choice of novice hurdles at Hexham or Ludlow on Tuesday, the latter venue, where he’s already won a bumper this season, probably more suitable given his style of running. Henderson has several entries to choose from in the listed novices’ hurdle at Perth on Wednesday, but the one who’d be of particular interest there is Thomas Campbell who has been crying out for this step up in trip after shaping well in handicaps at Cheltenham and Aintree.  

Flat trainer: William Haggas

William Haggas has maintained an impressive strike-rate on the all-weather since the beginning of the year with 15 wins from just 27 starters, the majority of those successes coming with the stable’s three-year-olds. The yard’s better horses are beginning to appear now, and while Racing Post Trophy winner Rivet had to settle for second place on his return to action in Thursday’s Craven Stakes at Newmarket, earlier in the week smart sprinter Muthmir gave the stable its first turf winner of the season when making a successful reappearance at Bath on Easter Monday. Looking ahead to next week, an entry for the stable that catches the eye is Theydon Grey in the mile and a quarter handicap at Yarmouth on Tuesday. He would be making his debut for the yard after being bought out of the stable of Peter Charalambous for 46,000 guineas after his final start last year and it’s worth noting the gelding was successful on his reappearance last season. Al Shaqab’s three-year-old filly Harba holds a couple of entries in maidens at Catterick and Lingfield on Wednesday and has the sort of pedigree which suggests she should be capable of a lot better than she’s shown so far, by Frankel out of a useful mare who was placed in listed company at up to a mile and a quarter. Harba had a couple of starts over six furlongs last year, hampered and unseating her rider on the second occasion, but she’s bred to be well suited by a step up in trip.

Under the radar: Rod Millman

Devon trainer Rod Millman currently has his string in good order, with four winners since the end of March. The stable came away with a first, second and third from its four runners at Windsor’s first meeting of the year earlier this month and it has prospects of further success at the Berkshire track on Monday evening. Sprinter Go Amber Go made all under 5 lb claimer Lulu Stanford to make a winning reappearance at Kempton recently and might not have too much competition for the lead again in her bid to follow up in the final event on the card. Stanford struck up a good partnership with Eugenic when riding him for both his wins last season and he’d be interesting if returning in the same form as he ended last term (has an alternative entry at Kempton the same day) in the handicap over an extended eleven furlongs. Super Sprint entry Daddies Girl showed plenty of ability, despite being in need of the experience (slowly into stride), when a close third in a field of newcomers at Windsor’s last meeting, and she’d be a leading contender with that run behind her in the contest for two-year-old fillies which opens the card.