Champion trainer and Unibet ambassador Nicky Henderson discusses the chances of some of his star names heading to Cheltenham’s International meeting this weekend.
Call Me Lord (Unibet International Hurdle)
The plan is to run in the Unibet International Hurdle, you might as well try and defend your tittle. There are a lot of things we have never been certain about with Call Me Lord. We had an idea that he only went right-handed but he proved us wrong in the Unibet international Hurdle last year and showed that he can go left-handed. We were even talking about putting him in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot but I don’t think he is a three miler and nor does Anthony Bromley, so the Unibet International Hurdle is the objective and we will try and see them off again.
Verdana Blue (Unibet International Hurdle)
Verdana Blue looks as if she is staying more than anything this year. It used to be two miles around Kempton on fast ground and now if you give her a fast track it looks as though she wants a little further. Her Flat campaign told you that she does go in soft ground. She ran a fantastic race in the Ebor, she was a good third and with another half a furlong and she would have won. That was soft ground, Royal Ascot was soft ground when she was second over two and a half miles in the Ascot Stakes. You might just rethink about her and say she is not a flat track two miler, she can handle soft ground and she stays, so she could come in to the equation.
Champagne Mystery (Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase)
He has some strong form but it is interesting, his strong form has always been his first run of the year. That is why we are going to go in very brave first time, because he could go to Timbuktu and win the first time and then he doesn’t always back it up. His owner, Trevor Hemmings, rather annoyingly just beat us in the Many Clouds Chase last weekend and the week before he won the Ladbrokes Trophy with Cloth Cap, so he is on a rock’n’roll. I said to Michael Meagher let’s be brave and go for the third weekend on the trot.
Whatswrongwithyou (Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase)
We ran him at Newbury the other day and really fancied him. Unfortunately he and Nico had a disagreement at the first. He had been working extremely well, so I was rather looking forward to it, but that was the end of that at the first fence.
Mister Fisher
The rain came so suddenly before his re-appearance at Cheltenham, really I should have taken him out, because we knew it was pointless running him, but the rain only came an hour before the race and we were committed. Nico was well aware of it and he pulled him up in bags of time. It was horrible that day, we had a whole lot of horses that just couldn’t cope with it at all and he was one of them. He seems in really good form at home.
Top Notch (Peterborough Chase, Friday)
I am sure that the wind operation will help him. It has helped him, but it has held me up. It is possible that he might need the run but he is able to do another piece of work (with the extra week) which might just help him.
Fusil Raffles (Jockey Club Cheltenham And SW Syndicate Novices’ Chase)
It would have to be no worse than good to soft for him to run. I think we have got rain coming again on Thursday. We will just have to see what happens.
I don’t think he is an Arkle horse, I think he is a two and a half mile horse. We haven’t been two and a half miles yet but I am dying to do it, so it is possible that he could do that on Saturday.
Gallyhill (British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle)
He is a nice horse who won a point to point in Ireland. He is probably going to come with a bit of a reputation, but I like him.
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