'He was incredible' - ex-jockey Noel Fehily pays tribute to retired star Altior

Nico de Boinville was the jockey most associated with Altior, who was retired on Monday, but Noel Fehily cherishes being the lucky man who first rode the Nicky Henderson-trained superstar over fences.

Fehily stepped in when De Boinville broke his arm in November 2016, just before Altior was due to make his chase debut.

Henderson and the Pugh family, Altior's owners, turned to Fehily, an experienced and talented member of the weighing room who retired in 2019.

The son of High Chaparral faced just one rival when he started under Fehily at Kempton, demolishing the smart Black Corton by 63 lengths before the pair landed Sandown's Henry VIII Novices' Chase the following month.

'We've been blessed' says Nicky Henderson as legendary chaser Altior is retired

The 45-year-old also rode Altior to success in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad back at Kempton prior to De Boinville's return to full fitness.

"Nico was obviously injured so I stepped in and I'll never forget the morning I first went to school him," Fehily says.

"I thought he could have been the best horse I've ever sat on over a fence – it was unbelievable.

"He was incredible in those races I rode him. He was always going to be a superstar over fences. He was so quick down to the fences and when he attacked them and he had so much scope.

"I remember driving out of Nicky's that first morning I schooled him and said to someone: 'This is the best horse I've ridden over a fence'."

Noel Fehily partnered Altior to three victories in the winter of 2016Credit: Getty Images

Fehily, who won the 2017 Champion Hurdle for Henderson on Buveur D'Air, also partnered top-class chasers Master Minded, Silviniaco Conti and Special Tiara.

"His schooling was electric and I worked him up the Faringdon Road gallop in Lambourn one day and it was frightening," he added. "It was before the Sandown race and it was a savage piece of work with some good horses – he just blew them away. He had so much ability."

Former Henderson assistant Toby Lawes rode Altior in his daily exercise most mornings and joked he never needed an alarm clock to get out of bed for the exciting task.

"I joined Nicky in the summer of 2014 after Altior had won his Market Rasen bumper," said Lawes.

"I remember the first time I saw him. He trotted past me with the most amazing scopey trot I've ever seen and I thought to myself: 'Crikey, that's a bloody nice horse, isn't it?'.

"Soon after, my name found itself next to his and it stayed there ever since. I probably rode him five days a week and there were so many wonderful horses at Seven Barrows that would get you out of bed, but he's the one who got your heart racing every day."

Altior and Toby Lawes on the Seven Barrows slopes in LambournCredit: Edward Whitaker

Lawes, now training in his own right in Surrey, added: "He always found things incredibly easy. He loved life and knew how good he was from an early age, he almost had a slight air of arrogance about him. It's key for trainers to instil confidence in horses but he had it in spades.

"He took everything in his stride and was always very fresh when you were riding him, but never silly or wound-up.

"My greatest memory of him was the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. I hadn't been at Nicky's long and it was breathtaking being around horses so good. That was a day I'll never forget because the horses in the Supreme could be anything. You haven't necessarily got the pressure of being a defending champion, it's more about what the horses could be and the way he excelled that afternoon was unbelievable, it was a ridiculously strong race.

"His 19 straight wins showed what an attitude he had and what a professional he was."

Read more on Altior:

'Just you wait until the Supreme' – Altior a star from day one and I should know (Members' Club)

Supreme, Champion Chase, Tingle Creek and more: Altior's best performances

Awesome Altior secures title for Henderson with devastating success

Henderson's health is tested as winning machine Altior digs deep to retain title

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