Nicky Henderson's Spying Mission Ahead of Cheltenham Festival
During the Dublin Racing Festival, Mullins showcased his mastery by winning all eight Grade Ones and claiming victory in nine out of 15 races. Henderson, who didn't have any runners at Leopardstown, made the trip across the Irish Sea as an interested observer for the second day of racing.
Nicky Henderson isn't underestimating the tough challenge ahead at the Cheltenham Festival next month, especially after witnessing Willie Mullins' impressive performance at Leopardstown on Sunday.
During the Dublin Racing Festival, Mullins showcased his mastery by winning all eight Grade Ones and claiming victory in nine out of 15 races. Henderson, who didn't have any runners at Leopardstown, made the trip across the Irish Sea as an interested observer for the second day of racing.
In a friendly tone, Henderson jokingly said, "I was just there doing a bit of spying! It was a great day's racing. Willie is amazing, and I'm not sure I'm in a desperate hurry to go and join that party."
One of the standout moments during Mullins' five-timer on the second day was State Man's successful defence of the Irish Champion Hurdle.
Interestingly, State Man's only defeat when completing over obstacles since joining Mullins was at the hands of Henderson's superstar, Constitution Hill, in last season's Champion Hurdle. This sets the stage for an exciting rematch between the two at Prestbury Park in mid-March.
Henderson acknowledged the impressive performances he witnessed, saying, "I thought we saw a lot of impressive performances yesterday – State Man was, El Fabiolo was, and so was Ballyburn in the novice hurdle. We're going to have to take all of them on in five weeks' time; we're involved in all the races they'll be going for, so we'll just have to give it a go and probably take our medicine."
Constitution Hill has had limited racing this season, with his latest win in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. Unfortunately, his planned outing in the Unibet (International) Hurdle at Cheltenham was cancelled due to an unsatisfactory scope. Henderson must now ensure his horse is in top form for the upcoming festival.
Henderson said, "He's just starting his build-up. We haven't scoped him again recently; he'll do that after he's done a bit of faster work, probably. He's fine; we've got five weeks to go, and we know where we are."
| Unibet Champion Hurdle Odds | |
|---|---|
| Constitution Hill | 1/3 |
| State Man | 7/2 |
| Lossiemouth: | 14/1 |
| Impaire Et Passe | 16/1 |
Henderson also shared some positive news about Jonbon, who suffered a surprise defeat in the rescheduled Clarence House Chase on Festival Trials day at Cheltenham. Jonbon is expected to go off as second-favourite behind his old rival El Fabiolo in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase following El Fabiolo's impressive victory in the Dublin Chase.
"Jonbon is very well; he couldn't be better," Henderson added, leaving optimism in the air for his upcoming races.
| Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase Odds | |
|---|---|
| El Fabiolo | 1/2 |
| Jonbon | 4/1 |
| Edwardstone | 20/1 |
Nicky Henderson's Past Cheltenham Festival Winners
| Race | Number of Wins | Horses |
|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | 2 | Long Run (2011), Bobs Worth (2013) |
| Champion Hurdle | 9 | See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur d'Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020), Constitution Hill (2023) |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | 6 | Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior (2018, 2019) |
| Stayers' Hurdle | 2 | Rustle (1989), Bacchanal (2000) |
| Supreme Novices' Hurdle | 5 | River Ceiriog (1986), Flown (1992), Altior (2016), Shishkin (2020), Constitution Hill (2022) |
| Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle | 1 | Simonsig (2012) |
| Triumph Hurdle | 7 | First Bout (1985), Alone Success (1987), Katarino (1999), Zaynar (2009), Soldatino (2010), Peace And Co (2015), Pentland Hills (2019) |
| Arkle Challenge Trophy | 7 | Remittance Man (1991), Travado (1993), Tiutchev (2000), Sprinter Sacre (2012), Simonsig (2013), Altior (2017), Shishkin (2021) |
| David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle | 1 | Marie's Rock |
| Spa Novices' Hurdle | 1 | Bobs Worth (2011) |
| RSA Insurance Novices' Chase | 4 | Trabolgan (2005), Bobs Worth (2012), Might Bite (2017), Champ (2020) |
| Ryanair Chase | 2 | Fondmort (2006), Riverside Theatre (2012) |
| Festival Trophy Handicap Chase | 2 | Marlborough (2000), Beware The Bear (2019) |
| Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase | 1 | Rajdhani Express (2013) |
| Coral Cup | 4 | Spirit River (2010), Whisper (2014), William Henry (2019), Dame De Compagnie (2020) |
| County Handicap Hurdle | 2 | Thumbs Up (1993), Barna Boy (1997) |
| Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Hurdle | 1 | Une Artiste (2012) |
| Paddy Power Plate Handicap Chase | 4 | The Tsarevich (1985, 1986), Liberthine (2005), Non So (2006) |
| Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | 3 | Master Bob (1990), The Bushkeeper (2002), Juveigneur (2005) |
| Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase | 2 | Greenhope (2006), Bellvano (2012) |
| Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle | 1 | Andytown (2009) |
| Golden Miller Novices' Chase | 1 | Chantry House (2021) |
| Cathcart Challenge Cup | 4 | Brown Windsor (1990), Raymylette (1994), Stormyfairweather (1999, 2000) |
| Pertemps Final | 1 | Call The Cops (2015) |