Henderson is without Buveur but he's still the man to beat in Champion Hurdle

3.30 Cheltenham
Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1) | 2m½f | Old course | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

No trainer has won the Champion Hurdle more than Nicky Henderson and no trainer has more runners in this year's race than the maestro, whose quartet of challengers includes the first and second favourite. Henderson, however, will not be touching wood.

That is because the man who has orchestrated seven triumphs in the festival feature knows that with none of the 19 starters rated higher than 163, his dual champion Buveur D'Air would surely have been a red-hot favourite but for the season-ending injury he sustained in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle when a splinter got stuck in his foot.

"I think you have to say Buveur D'Air was just one stupid piece of wood away from winning a third Champion Hurdle," Henderson said ruefully, adding: "I think the door is now wide open and all ours have the credentials under the bonnet to win."

Henderson hopes one of Epatante, Pentland Hills, Fusil Raffles or Call Me Lord will go through the door first – and in the JP McManus-owned Christmas Hurdle winner he has the clear favourite.

"Epatante's work has been excellent," said Henderson. "Her preparation has been very good except for two days when she coughed – but that has made absolutely no difference and it certainly hasn't stopped her galloping. She didn't miss a day, and as soon as I announced she was coughing she stopped coughing."

Epatante heads the market after winning the Christmas HurdleCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Triumph Hurdle winner Pentland Hills left his trainer and 3,000 racing club owners spluttering when throwing away Haydock's Champion Hurdle trial, after which he underwent wind surgery.

"I don't think that will make a big difference – it was only a Henderson hunch that we should do something," admitted the master of Seven Barrows. "There was no concrete evidence he had a wind problem but I was trying to work out why he was getting to the final flight looking a certainty but then not quite getting home.

"I'm still not quite sure how he got beat at Haydock, but we had time on our side, so we cauterized his palate. What I can say with confidence is he probably won't be trying to get to the front before the last."

Henderson added: "Fusil Raffles has to bounce back to where he was last season, when his performances at Kempton and Punchestown were outstanding. Daryl Jacob chose him over Call Me Lord, who I thought was a bit flat at Sandown so I've been freshening him up."

What they say

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Ballyandy
It was good to see him win last time. Cheltenham suits him, so we're very much looking forward to it. The conditions will be fine for him.

Paul Townend, rider of Cilaos Emery
It’s an open race but I just hope it’s not going to be a messy race with all the runners. I hope we can get a clear run round and if we can keep a lid on Cilaos in the preliminaries, that will be a positive. He jumped okay in the main at Gowran and was the better the faster we went. Luke McMahon coughed up the money to supplement and let’s hope he can get that back.

Cilaos Emery: emerged as a Champion Hurdle candidate after success at Gowran ParkCredit: Patrick McCann

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Coeur Sublime
He has always worked well and he worked really well last week. We think he’s best with his races spaced out, so it’s good he comes here fresh. He has had his wind tidied up and goes to the race in great form.

Micky Hammond, trainer of Cornerstone Lad
We've been lucky in that he needs cut in the ground and we've had one of the wettest Februarys on record. It looks as though conditions are going to be right for him with the ground soft at Cheltenham. It's just whether he's good enough.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Darasso
He is an outsider, but if you’re not in you can’t win. He’ll love the soft ground.

Gavin Cromwell, trainer of Darver Star
I saw him riding out at Cheltenham on Monday and thankfully all has gone well with him. It's all systems go. We've been very happy with him and he has been pleasing us since his last run. He has definitely earned his chance in the race.

Darver Star has emerged as an unlikely Champion Hurdle candidateCredit: Alain Barr

Philip Hobbs, trainer of Gumball
The whole point of entering him was it looks a wide-open race and he ran well over the course and distance in the Greatwood. Maybe he should only be 50-1!

Hughie Morrison, trainer of Not So Sleepy
We always felt this was the race to aim at. You only really know how he is after you've run him. If I have him in the form he was when he won at Ascot and he takes the preliminaries well he'll give us a good day out.

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Petit Mouchoir
Petit Mouchoir has been a brilliant horse for us and seems to be in mighty form. He's beaten some of the fancied runners already so we're hoping he can run well again here.

Patrick Mullins, rider of Sharjah
I’m really looking forward to riding Sharjah. I’m certainly hoping for more luck than last year, that’s for sure! He’s been in good form at home and travelled over well.

Supasundae gets the better of Buveur D'Air in last year's Aintree HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Jessica Harrington, trainer of Supasundae
He’s in great form and ready to run a big race. I can't remember a more open Champion Hurdle in my lifetime.

Evan Williams, trainer of Silver Streak
It is horrible as a trainer to go into a race thinking you have no chance. That's how I felt last year. This year I do think we have a chance and I'm approaching the race with plenty of confidence. I wasn't happy with him going to Cheltenham last year. This year I am happy. We have gone about things differently, with the aim of producing him for the Champion Hurdle in top shape.

Spotlight verdict

Epatante looks all class and she couldn't be faulted at Kempton in December but there is that slight query as to whether a mare with so much speed can sustain her effort under the conditions on this very testing finish. There are many alternatives in a wide-open race but Darver Star, who didn't make his debut until last winter, has improved to the extent that he has been breathing down the necks of established Grade 1 performers on his last two starts and he can be seen to even better effect with this stiffer test. The valiant Supasundae can also threaten but a bigger danger can be posed by Cilaos Emery who was very classy before his injury and has looked as good as ever over fences and hurdles since his return. Call Me Lord and Ballyandy cannot be left out either.
Emily Weber

Download the latest version of the free iOS app here to place bets with Sky Bet from your existing account. Get all the same money back offers and Best Odds Guaranteed