'It's a big wheel in racing and things come back around' - Nico de Boinville enjoys significant double for JP McManus

There is something rather endearing about the relationship between Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville. It was evident once again on what was a big day at Cheltenham for the trainer but an even bigger one for his jockey.

That might all sound overly sentimental, but sentimentality is one of Henderson's finest traits. Quite a bit of it may have rubbed off on De Boinville, not surprisingly so given much of his life has been spent at Seven Barrows, the place he calls his second home. It is a special environment for them both, yet so, too, is Cheltenham. For a duo whose fondness and respect for each other is obvious, this was a special day.

At around 3.40pm Henderson was awaiting the return of Iberico Lord following the five-year-old's victory in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle. Henderson had told a couple of us about how he consciously aimed a small squad of JP McManus-owned horses at the November meeting, knowing the owner was planning to attend. Jonbon had already won the Shloer Chase, in the process following up Impose Toi's handicap success on Friday. Iberico Lord had now placed some impressive icing on the cake. Significantly, all three horses had been ridden – and ridden beautifully – by Henderson's stable jockey.