The Cheltenham Festival perhaps didn’t pan out exactly how veteran trainer Nicky Henderson had planned. Of course, Constitution Hill absolutely steamrolled his opposition to win the Champion Hurdle at a nothing more than a canter.
But that was the only victory the Seven Barrows boss celebrated all week, with several of his other big shouts coming up short in their respective races. While he doesn’t have an entry in the main race itself, the Grand National Festival poses the perfect chance for Henderson to bounce back and land a couple more big wins before the end of the jumps season proper.
That said, read on as we take a look at some of the strong contingent of horses Henderson will be sending to Aintree for the three-day meeting.
Constitution Hill
The most obvious place to start when it comes to Henderson’s yard is with the aforementioned Constitution Hill. The six-year-old has only raced six times under rules, but is already proving to be a horse of a life-time and National Hunt fans will be incredibly eager to see him in action again at Aintree.
Constitution Hill will head to the Aintree Hurdle as he looks to make it seven wins in succession over obstacles, but what lies in store for the Michael Buckley-owned horse beyond that remains to be seen — with the debate of whether he should stay over hurdles or go chasing starting to gain traction, while some even think he should have a tilt at the Ascot Gold Cup.
Shishkin
After winning the Ascot Chase by a comfortable 16 lengths from Pic D’Orhy in mid-February, there was a lot of hype surrounding Shishkin ahead of the Ryanair Chase on day three of the Festival. However, the nine-year-old didn’t seem right on the day and jumped poorly to make the task of winning almost impossible. He did finish strongly to finish second to Envoi Allen though.
After just two trips at around two miles and four furlongs, Shishkin will be stepped up again at Aintree — being targeted for the Bowl, which he is the favourite to win according to the Grand National betting. He will almost certainly have his tongue tie removed prior to the race, while Henderson also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of putting headgear on.
Marie’s Rock
Another horse who was disappointing for Seven Barrows at the Festival, Marie’s Rock looked like the most likely challenger to ruin Honeysuckle’s swansong in the Mares’ Hurdle. The defending champion of the race was prominent four out, but weakened before the last and finished a disappointing seventh of nine.
The Middleham Park Racing-owned mare will now be stepped up in trip for the three-mile Liverpool Hurdle and will face stablemate Champ, while Mares’ Hurdle rival Epatante will likely head to Punchestown. The 7lb mares’ allowance could be a big factor at the Grand National Festival for Marie’s Rock.
—
Jonbon looks set to be stepped up in trip to two miles and four furlongs after suffering his first defeat over fences in the Arkle to El Fabiolo, with the Manifesto Novices’ Chase the most likely destination. Henderson has also indicated Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle fourth Luccia could go back up against the geldings, which would likely mean a tilt at the Top Novices’ Hurdle.
