Champion Hurdle trio lead formidable team into battle

Nicky Henderson will no doubt raise a glass to absent friends at Cheltenham in 20 days' time, but after parading his formidable festival firepower at his Lambourn yard on Wednesday, the meeting's winningmost trainer appears to have a team worthy of emulating the Seven Barrows stars of yesteryear.

Tears have already been shed for the recently retired Sprinter Sacre and ill-fated Simonsig, yet there can be no denying the strength in depth to this year’s squad, which is rich in youth and quality.

Among his 55 wins at the festival, Henderson boasts five Champion Hurdle victories and has "three live chances" to move clear of Peter Easterby and out on his own as the most successful trainer in the opening-day showstopper.

Bookmakers make Buveur D'Air general 3-1 favourite for the Stan James-backed contest but Henderson warned there is little between him and Brain Power, with ground conditions set to play their part. The trainer is also set to be represented by festival regular My Tent Or Yours.

"The one thing you could say is there's a ground situation," he said. "Buveur D'Air would love it soft and Brain Power would love it good. We all know it's going to be good to soft or softer on day one. If it goes soft it's in Buveur D'Air's favour and against the other two."

Despite Buveur D'Air's position at the head of the market, Barry Geraghty has a tough call on whether to ride Henderson's horse or second favourite Yanworth, trained by Alan King and also owned by his boss JP McManus. Paddy Power quote 4-6 he rides Buveur D'Air and 11-10 Yanworth - and 20-1 any other horse.

"Barry's given me no indication whatsoever," said Henderson. "I hope David Mullins will ride Brain Power, and I'd think it's between Buveur D'Air and Yanworth for Barry.

"There's a possibility Noel Fehily would ride Buveur D'Air. He rode him all last year and always said he'd win the Champion Hurdle. It must be a possibility, but that's up to Barry. It's not a problem from my point of view."

Buveur D'Air, third to Altior in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle, started the season with two novice chase wins, but Henderson felt there was unfinished business over hurdles and his Champion Hurdle chances have been enhanced by the absence of injured pair Annie Power and Faugheen, winners of the past two Champion Hurdles.

"He worked well this morning," said Henderson. "If you take it strictly on Sandown then he doesn't deserve to be favourite, but we've just got to do our own thing.

"I've always thought he was a Champion Hurdle horse. The change from fences wasn't totally because what was happening within the Champion Hurdle picture.

"Yes Annie Power going makes you think, but I said to Barry before Cheltenham [trials day] that this horse needs to come back into the Champion Hurdle, whatever happens to Faugheen the following day, and within half an hour of me saying that Faugheen was out [of the Irish Champion Hurdle]. I was adamant he needed to run in it."

Brain Power, who was also earmarked for a novice chase campaign at the start of the season, has not run since winning what had been the Ladbroke at Ascot in December by five lengths and is set for a racecourse gallop at Kempton on Saturday.

"He looks really well," said Henderson of Brain Power, who is an 8-1 chance with Ladbrokes and Betfair Sportsbook. "Many come through handicaps and fall flat on their face, but he's got a very high cruising speed and that's what you need.

"He's good fresh, he's grown up mentally and has tanked through those big handicaps. His jumping was good over fences but wasn't quite what it wanted to be, but his work was excellent and I just thought he had more to give over hurdles. It's much the same as Buveur D'Air."

My Tent Or Yours, runner-up at three festivals and two Champion Hurdles, completes Henderson's trio and although a top-price 50-1 with Coral his trainer is not ruling out a big run.

He said: "We said after last year he'll win it next year, and he's been a little bit forgotten.

"He wasn't sparkling earlier in the season but he's in good form and will go for a gallop at Kempton on Tuesday I'd say. It's an open year and if he's the same horse as last year he'd have to have a good chance. He worked very, very well on Saturday with Charli Parcs."

A top-priced 7-2 second-favourite behind Willie Mullins to scoop the meeting's top trainer award for a tenth time, Henderson is hoping he does not have to wait long for a first winner of the week as he will be saddling red-hot Racing Post Arkle favourite Altior.

Henderson said: "He's a long way from being another Sprinter Sacre but he's creeping up the road. This horse could jump with Douvan or you could switch him tomorrow to hurdles if you needed to but we've gone down the Arkle route.

"He's got a serious engine - he can cruise at any pace, then go through the gears."

Nicky Henderson festival winners

BoyleSports: 6-4 two, 7-4 three, 5-2 one, 7 four or more, 8 none

Top UK trainer at the festival

Betway: 4-5 Nicky Henderson, 9-2 Paul Nicholls, 9 Colin Tizzard, 14 Alan King, Dan Skelton, 16 Nigel Twiston-Davies, Philip Hobbs, 20 David Pipe