Ascot or Haydock? Henderson not afraid of Betfair Chase for Altior

Nicky Henderson's winning machine Altior has been given the surprise option of returning in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, but the trainer on Wednesday said a mouthwatering clash with Cyrname at Ascot on the same day remained his preferred target.

When Altior appeared among the 11 entries for the Grade 1 3m1½f chase at Haydock on November 23 it created the possibility for the two highest-rated horses in Britain to avoid each other - but while Henderson would have no problem running the chaser with 19 consecutive wins to his name in the longer race, he insisted the entry was precautionary.

"If Ascot was called off, what would I do? You have to be in the other race just in case," explained the five-time champion trainer. "The plan is Ascot, and if that goes well, the King George. It's step-by-step with him at the minute as we are going up in trip."

Altior was also among the 37 entries for the Ladbrokes-sponsored highlight of the Christmas calendar and inserted as the 5-2 favourite by the bookmaker. The nine-year-old has never raced beyond 2m2f, and while Ascot's Christy 1965 Chase, over 2m5f, would be a more gradual stepping stone Henderson is not fazed by the additional distance - should he be forced to start his stable star at Haydock.

"There's not a lot of difference between the two anyway," he said. "Ascot's a stiff two miles five and Haydock's a very easy three miles, so if it happens so be it. We'd rather go to Ascot but if it were off for whatever reason we'd be going to Haydock. He's in very good form and his work is great at the moment - but it always is."

The Haydock race carries an additional £1 million bonus, put up by Jockey Club Racecourses, should the winner follow up in the King George and Magners Gold Cup, but while Altior looks likely to run in the second and third legs - should his season go to plan - and Coral inserted him at 66-1 to complete the Triple Crown, the first leg remains a back-up at this stage.

Betfair have inserted Altior as an 8-1 chance for the £200,000 contest, with the hat-trick-seeking Bristol De Mai the 7-4 favourite.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, who trains Bristol De Mai, was as surprised as anyone to see Altior among the entries - but was not afraid to take him on should he turn up. He said: "I wouldn't mind at all. Three miles, heavy ground, around Haydock, he [Bristol De Mai] loves it around there so we're all very excited.

"Bristol De Mai's in good form and we decided to head straight for Haydock. We did it last year and it worked well, so hopefully things can go well again this time around. He had a great season last term and we were delighted with his third in the Gold Cup. Hopefully he can continue improving this season."

Lostintranslation, who impressed at Carlisle on his seasonal return at the weekend, and Altior's stablemate Might Bite add further depth to the Grade 1 contest that also features Balko Des Flos, Ballyoptic, Black Corton, Elegant Escape, Frodon, Tout Est Permis and Valtor among the 11 entries.

On Charlie Hall winner Ballyoptic, Twiston-Davies added: "Ballyoptic has come out of the Charlie Hall fine. We were always going to enter him in the Betfair Chase after that victory and he could also run."

Betfair prices: Bristol De Mai 7-4, Lostintranslation 15-8, Frodon 7-1, Altior 8-1, Ballyoptic 12-1, Balko Des Flos, Black Corton, Might Bite 14-1, Tout Est Permis, Elegant Escape 20-1, Valtor 33-1.

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