Renowned for his decades of success in National Hunt racing, Nicky Henderson still stands as a titan among trainers — boasting an illustrious record at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
With an impressive tally of 73 victories to his name, Henderson’s mastery in readying his charges to triumph at Prestbury Park is supreme.
As the racing world counts down the days to the forthcoming Festival, all eyes are inevitably trained on Henderson’s yard.
In this article, we delve into Seven Barrow’s most promising contenders. However, note the deliberate absence of Constitution Hill — as his Champion Hurdle defence is uncertain at the time of writing.
Sir Gino – Triumph Hurdle
If Constitution Hill is to miss the Cheltenham Festival, then Sir Gino will head to Prestbury Park as Henderson’s best chance of the week.
The four-year-old has been incredibly impressive in his first two starts for Seven Barrows, winning by 14 lengths on debut at Kempton before a 10-length success in the Grade 2 Finesse Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham in January.
Those victories mean that Sir Gino is the 8/13 favourite in the Triumph Hurdle 2024 odds, and he will be very hard to beat.
Shishkin – Gold Cup
It’s been over a decade since Henderson last won the Gold Cup, with Bobs Worth landing the trainer his second victory in the Cheltenham showpiece, but he has a chance this year with Shishkin.
Shishkin’s quality is there for all to see, as he has a long list of graded honours on his race record, but his inconsistency over the last couple of years is a cause for concern.
If the best version of the 10-year-old shows up on March 15, and Galopin Des Champs has another dip in form, then Shishkin could perhaps capitalise, but it’s a big if.
Jonbon – Queen Mother Champion Chase
Jonbon is a huge fan favourite amongst National Hunt racing fans, and the majority of those at Prestbruy Park on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival would love to see him win the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
However, El Fabiolo will likely prove too good for Henderson’s charge — as the Willie Mullins-trained horse remains unbeaten over fences and beat Jonbon comfortably here in last year’s Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.
El Fabiolo still holds a Ryanair Chase entry though, so Jonbon could avoid his old rival if Mullins decides to go down that route instead. In which case, Jonbon could prove good value to back with your Cheltenham welcome offers in the Champion Chase.
Jeriko Du Reponet – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Once the market leader for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Jeriko Du Reponet now finds himself as something of an outsider at odds of 8/1.
The five-year-old was tipped by several high-profile pundits for the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival before he even made his rules debut, but Jeriko Du Reponet backed it up with a comfortable win at Newbury.
Further victories back at Newbury and in Grade 2 company at Doncaster have followed. However, despite being unbeaten at this stage, not everyone is convinced by his performances — hence the drift out to 8/1.
