Henderson had scrapped an earlier decision to take five potential Cheltenham ‘aces’ to Newbury for racecourse gallops on Thursday after the ground at the Berkshire track turned tacky. Instead they spent a resourceful morning at Seven Barrows, Lambourn, turning in “work that went very, very well,” according to the trainer.
“They both went well, but Spirit Son had a good blow after the piece of work, and I feel it is very unlikely that he will go to Ireland [for the Irish Champion Hurdle on Jan 29]. There are hurdle races at Wincanton, Sandown and Kelso in the coming weeks and we have several who could run in them,” he pointed out.
In fact, Henderson trains three of the five horses quoted under 10-1 in the Champion Hurdle – only Hurricane Fly and Zarkandar are from other yards – and he will have a major influence on the shape of fields for these ‘trials’ in the run-up to the Festival.
The other home gallop of note on Thursday involved French Opera, Burton Port and Soldatino, a piece of work designed to bring this trio of varying talents closer to racing fitness. “Burton Port has a Gold Cup entry, though I have yet to discuss it with Trevor [Hemmings, the owner], while Soldatino has the Betfred Hurdle [Feb 11, Newbury] as his objective. They worked well.”
Much thought is going into Sprinter Sacre’s next run, with the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury being favoured at this stage. “He could go to Doncaster at the end of the month, but there is a chance nothing will turn up, and he could possibly find himself doing less than if he were at home. What he wants is experience,” Henderson explained.
“The other factor to consider is that if he runs at Doncaster, Barry [Geraghty] won’t ride, because he would be required at Cheltenham on the same day. At Newbury, Barry can ride him.”
Meanwhile, Bobs Worth was a surprise entry for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, although Henderson explained this was merely an insurance in case something went wrong. The RSA Chase remains his Festival target.
