Nicky Henderson: “It’s a valuable prize and the more it dries out the better chance I believe he has”

A typically quiet Saturday for us with just two runners in the valuable Sales Bumper at Newbury, but this is always the case at this time of year between two big spring festivals and we will start getting many of them ready for Aintree over the next week.

I’m pleased to report everyone has come out of Cheltenham in good shape, horse and human! and it’s now a case of shuffling the pack and deciding who goes where. Marie’s Rock will certainly step up to three miles, which has been the plan all season, and we’ll also step Jonbon up to two and a half and Shishkin to three. Constitution Hill is in brilliant shape after his facile victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle and, all being well, he’ll join the squad in Liverpool where the Aintree Hurdle, over two and a half, is where we’d like to go. There has been absolutely no decision made beyond that so it’s no point even asking if he’ll go chasing, stay over Hurdles or even go to Royal Ascot! There has been plenty said about what we might do, and it’s lovely to have a horse like him where we have so many options, but we’ll get this season out of the way first before we even consider what might happen in the future.

NEWBURY

3:50 Goffs Sales Bumper

Gentleman’s Relish (Nico De Boinville)

He’s the most gorgeous son of Doyen who has done everything we’ve asked very nicely, along with his fellow four year olds, and I have no doubt he has a very bright future. However, he has only ever worked on good ground along our Farringdon Road grass gallop so this will be something completely different indeed and I honestly do not know how he’ll handle it. We like him a lot, though, and he might go through it but as long as he can run a promising race and show potential, I’ll be very happy. It’s a valuable prize and the more it dries out the better chance I believe he has.

Fresh As A Daisy (Paul O’Brien)

Pretty similar comments apply to this horse as with Gentleman’s Relish. They are two unraced four-year-olds with plenty of ability and have done much of their work together. I did have another horse to run here called East India Express, who won very impressively on debut at Kempton when I sort of thought he’d need it, and he’d have been very near the top of the market for this, but he isn’t quite right, and would’ve had to carry a penalty anyway, so it might not be a bad thing that he’s not turning up to the party. Fresh As A Daisy is out of a wonderful mare I trained/part bred called Whoops A Daisy and she won five races on good/soft/heavy ground so there is every chance that this lad may handle it slightly better than the other horse.