Nicky Henderson is no stranger to Cheltenham Festival glory, but last year was one to forget for the veteran. A devastating stable virus decimated his squad, leaving one of jump racing’s most successful trainers without a single winner across the four days—a rarity for the master of Seven Barrows.
Fast forward to this season, and Henderson is back with a vengeance. His strong team looks in fine form, and he has at least three standout contenders capable of restoring his place in the Festival’s exclusive winner’s enclosure.
With a whopping 73 Cheltenham victories already to his name throughout his glittering career, can the 73-year-old add to that tally this time around? We assess his leading hopes in the Cheltenham tips for this year’s meeting.
Constitution Hill – Champion Hurdle
Where better to start than with Constitution Hill? The Seven Barrows stable star was ruled out of last year’s Champion Hurdle, and it was feared he may never race again after contracting a dose of life-threatening colic.
Constitution Hill recovered much to the delight of the racing community and made his long-awaited return to the racetrack when retaining his Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle crown at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
He was turned back out for the Internation Hurdle at Cheltenham Trials Day last month and, despite an almost costly blunder when getting away with clattering the last, won relatively easily from a lacklustre field of rivals.
That mistake plants a slight seed of doubt in the mind, and one does wonder if a fully fit Lossiemouth or three-time Irish Champion Hurdle winner State Man can have a say. Constitution Hill is still the one to beat, though, and that’s reflected in his 4/7 odds.
Rating: 8/10
Jonbon – Queen Mother Champion Chase
Despite winning 17 of his 20 starts under rules, including eight Grade 1s, Jonbon continues to divide opinions amongst National Hunt pundits and punters alike.
The nine-year-old has been in red-hot form this season, winning three Graded races in a row at Cheltenham, Sandown, and Ascot, and an elusive Festival victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase would finally silence his doubters.
There’s no doubt that there’s something quirky about Jonbon, and he doesn’t always face top opposition outside of Cheltenham.
However, he’s an incredibly likable horse and has every chance of fending off the likes of Gaelic Warrior and Solness in the Champion Chase based on this campaign’s form.
Rating: 7/10
Lulamba – Triumph Hurdle
The ante-post market for the Triumph Hurdle has started to really take shape in the last month or so, with several horses throwing their hats in the ring for the premier four-year-old contest.
But it is Lulamba who has emerged as the short-price favorite. Touted to be a very classy horse on social media before making his debut at Ascot, the French recruit easily won a Juvenile Hurdle at Ascot in mid-January.
It was certainly an impressive debut, but this is going to be a much more challenging contest and could pay to side with a horse with a bit more experience—like East India Dock, who is three for three over hurdles and has won over the course and distance.
Rating: 6/10
