Nicky Henderson: “I still believe there’s a good horse in there somewhere”

SATURDAY – KEMPTON

12:35 Novices’ Hurdle

It Sure Is (Nico de Boinville)

To be honest we probably didn’t think we’d still be running in Novice Hurdles at this stage but things haven’t entirely gone to plan and we’re aborting his Chase career for the time being and putting on some cheek pieces as well as going up to three miles. He does have to up his game a little bit but I still believe there’s a very good horse in there somewhere and this sort of race might give him the confidence he needs.

 

1:10 Handicap Chase

Pistol Whipped (Nico De Boinville)

He hasn’t run for a while but has been ready to go for quite some time so is fairly sharp and I think there could still be improvement in him. I’ve been very happy with his work and he jumps particularly well, therefore I think he has a very realistic chance.

Theinval (Jerry McGrath)

He’s now in the Veteran stage of his career but has been a grand servant to the yard and is coming down the weights but needs to come down a little bit more! Ultimately he’s a good ground horse but this trip suits him nowadays and the run at Leicester will have done him a lot of good. It’s a competitive race but he’s not without a decent each way shout and he might as well run around here rather than be stood in his box doing nothing,

 

2:20 G2 Relkeel Hurdle

Call Me Lord (James Bowen)

I thought he ran a decent race in the Unibet International last time but the step back up to this trip will suit and 2m5f around Kempton is absolutely perfect for him. McFabulous should be hard to beat but our horse goes there with a great each way chance on his very best form and he’ll also be much happier going back right handed. That said, he does have a G2 penalty and has to give weight to everyone which I do not like.

On The Blind Side (Nico De Boinville)

He seems to be in the form of his life and didn’t go down without a real fight at Cheltenham last time. That was over three miles on a stiff track so I’m not sure 2m5f around Kempton is really his game but he likes small fields and a bit of daylight so hopefully he can go well at decent odds.

 

3:30 Listed Lanzarote Hurdle

Glynn (Nico de Boinville)

This is always a nice race to win and one we’ve got a decent record in having won it three times in the last ten years and this horse looks an interesting candidate. He’s a big, strong horse who has already won a point to point and will have a great career as a chaser but this looks a very good opportunity for him and he’ll strip much better physically and mentally for his reappearance at Doncaster last month. He’s learning all the time and this is tough but I do think he can be very competitive, I hope anyway!

The Cashel Man (Jerry McGrath)

He is a wonderful person to have around the place and often has his own ideas about the game but he’s come back down to a reasonable looking mark and anything like his second behind Thyme Hill in last season’s Challow Hurdle would give him a decent chance.