Nicky Henderson: latest update on my stable stars

After a successful festive period, Nicky Henderson is mulling over possible routes to the Cheltenham Festival with some of his Seven Barrows aces.

A December which started with Lulamba scooping top honours at Sandown then saw Impose Toi’s Long Walk Hurdle success prove the perfect precursor to Sir Gino’s dazzling return in the Christmas Hurdle and Jango Baie announcing himself as a Gold Cup candidate when fourth in the King George.

Henderson suggested it will be the “Unibet (International) Hurdle or nothing” before the Festival for Champion Hurdle favourite Sir Gino, but Trials day could also be the preferred option for his stablemates should the master of Seven Barrows decide for one more outing before Presbury Park’s showpiece event in the spring.

After also being a keen observer of the action in Ireland, Henderson said: “None of them have to run again and for Jango Baie it could be the Cotswold Chase or maybe the Denman Chase. Jango Baie is remarkably fresh and they are all fresh and well.

“We can all form our own opinions from watching (the racing in Ireland) but the Gold Cup is our intention with Jango Baie and we know our intention with Sir Gino – we know roughly where they are going.

“The Stayers’ Hurdle is also interesting from Impose Toi’s point of view and we’ve a good few bullets to fire, but we have to concentrate on what we’re doing rather than worrying about the others.

“Impose Toi, does he need to run again? He’s so lazy at home you would say ‘yeah, he could do’ and there is only really one race for him (the Cleeve). But we’ve a lot of options.

“I think we’re starting to know where our ducks are lining up and I always say by January 1 you should know what your squad for Cheltenham is beginning to look like and you have to say ‘OK, it looks quite solid’.”

While running plans for his elders may be up in the air, one member of the Lambourn string guaranteed for another outing before his anticipated clash with the likes of Kopek Des Bordes in the Arkle is impressive Henry VIII scorer Lulamba.

He is set for an appearance on February 7 with Warwick’s Kingmaker Novices’ Chase currently shading preference over a step into open company for the Game Spirit at Newbury on the same afternoon.

Henderson said: “Lulamba could run tomorrow he’s that fresh. He does need to run again and it will be Warwick or Newbury, but the Kingmaker looks the obvious one for him.

The Lambourn great is also resisting the temptation to move up in trip with Jonbon, who will head to Ascot on January 17 to defend his Clarence House Chase crown.

Henderson said: “Jonbon will go to the Clarence House. JP (McManus, owner) is very keen and he’s in great form.

“What’s Willie going to do? But we know what we’ll do and we’re going Clarence House.”

Old Park Star will be given the chance to further state his claims at two miles following Act Of Innocence’s defeat at Newbury on Monday.

It was originally thought Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten hurdler, who has impressed both at Kempton and at Cheltenham over timber so far, would head up in trip on Cheltenham Trials day, but that race is now possible for Act Of Innocence, with Old Park Star slated for Haydock’s Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle on January 17.

Henderson said of Gordon and Su Hall’s duo: “Our line of thought is that they’ve probably crossed over a little bit. Originally I thought Old Park Star might have been the two-and-a-half horse and Act Of Innocence would be the two (miler).

“On what we saw at Cheltenham and Newbury, it could just be Old Park Star is the two-miler and Nico (de Boinville) said Act Of Innocence needs to go to two and a half.

“We’re thinking the Rossington Main for Old Park Star and maybe Trials day (January 24) or the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon (February 5) for Act Of Innocence.

“The Sidney Banks is a race I quite like and has done us well over the years.”

Act Of Innocence swerved Aintree’s Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day for the perceived easier assignment in an introductory hurdle at Newbury, but bumped into an inspired Minella Yoga who put himself in the Triumph Hurdle picture with a taking stable debut for Paul Nicholls.

However, Henderson refused to be too despondent after his charge attempted to make the running while conceding a significant weight advantage to his younger rival.

He added: “Paul told me in the car park at Kempton that we’re going to have to give one he likes 20lb and when he said that I knew we were in trouble.

“I loved Paul’s horse and saw him at the sale and I knew they had a really high opinion of him in Ireland and it was a massive amount of weight we had to give away.

“I thought he ran brilliantly given the circumstances and he could just be the one now to step up in trip after that. It was hard work in hindsight trying to do it all in front and did he get done for toe by the winner? Or was it simply just the weight that told?”

Old Park Star is as short as 5-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while Act Of Innocence is 50-1 for the same race and as long as 66-1 with Paddy Power for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle over the intermediate trip.