'It's beginning to come back around' - Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson confident gap to Irish closing before Cheltenham

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

British racing has started the year in buoyant mood following bumper festive attendances and there is renewed confidence its big names once again have the firepower to hold their own at the major spring festivals.

Off the track, a record attendance at Cheltenham on New Year's Day came after uplifts in crowd numbers at Kempton, Aintree, Chepstow and Newbury, which all reported double-figure percentage increases from 2024. While on it, standout performances from the likes of King George winner The Jukebox Man have left trainers feeling increasingly optimistic they can take on the very best of Ireland at the business end of the season.

Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls sit second and third on the all-time list of leading trainers at the festival, with 73 and 49 winners respectively, and 14-time champion trainer Nicholls believes Britain's trainers are in a strong position heading into the new year, given the spread of talented horses across a number of yards. They include one of his emerging stars, No Drama This End, who maintained his unbeaten record over hurdles in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle on Monday.