Cheltenham Festival: Henderson eclipses Easterby's Hurdle landmark

Buveur D’Air’s electrifying victory under weighing room veteran Noel Fehily was a sixth in hurdling’s premier race for Henderson, eclipsing the remarkable five winners that Easterby saddled between 1967 (Saucy Kit) and Sea Pigeon (1981) from his Ryedale farm.

A landmark 50th win for leading owner JP McManus, Henderson enjoyed a one-two – the veteran My Tent Or Yours was a brave runner-up – with Ireland’s Petit Mouchoir third after making most of the running. David Pipe’s Moon Racer was pulled up after a bad mistake.

It capped a big race double for Henderson whose stable star, Altior, won the preceding Arkle Trophy 40 minutes earlier.

The success was made even more the remarkable by the fact that Buveur D’Air was steeplechasing earlier in the season – he beat Malcolm Jefferson’s classy Arkle runner-up Cloudy Dream at Haydock in December – before reverting to smaller obstacles as many of the Champion Hurdle’s leading contenders fell by the wayside.

Asked about the significance of breaking Easterby’s longstanding record, Henderson added: “It’s the horses and the people that make it.

“Of course it’s special, but we do it because we love doing it. It’s just fun. When this sort of thing happens, it’s even better fun. We’ll keep trying.”

Henderson, whose first win came courtesy of the quirky See You Then as long ago as 1985, went on: “You feel sorry for My Tent Or Yours.

“It’s wonderful we’ve won the Champion Hurdle but that’s three Champion Hurdles he’s been second in.

“What else can you say about him? He’s just sensational, but the young horse has done it.

“I wondered if I’d got it wrong reverting to hurdles but it’s proved the right thing to do and it’s worked on the day. I think he could still go back chasing one day.”

The winning-most trainer in festival history with 57 winners to his name, Henderson’s own record could – in time – be caught by Ireland’s Gordon Elliott who now has 11 winners to his name, and counting.

So long in the shadow of Willie Mullins, he enjoyed a treble courtesy of novice hurdler Labaik, the Bryan Cooper-inspired mare Apple’s Jade and Tiger Roll who won the marathon chase for amateur riders. Yet, on a day of records, Labaik’s shock win in the Grade One Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle will live long in the memory. A £25,000 bargain buy from Doncaster Sales, this is a recalcitrant horse that has refused to start on four of his last six starts, hence the 25-1 odds.

Having consented to start in the tender hands of 17-year-old teenage jockey Jack Kennedy who was recording his first Festival success, the six-year-old grey made stealthy progress approaching the home turn.

The son of Montmartre took the lead approaching the final flight and kept on gamely up the hill to score decisively from joint-favourite Melon, trained by the aforementioned Mullins.

While Elliott said he didn’t care if the winning horse never raced again, this was a coming of age ride for ‘boy wonder’ Kennedy who has been hailed by many shrewd judges as the next AP McCoy.

How apt that the win should come on the day that a statue of the incomparable McCoy was unveiled by the 20-times champion.

“It is absolutely amazing,” said Kennedy who still hopes to ride, Outlander, his first Grade One winner, in Friday’s Gold Cup.

“Words cannot describe what it is like [first Cheltenham winner]. I have dreamt about this day for as long as I can remember.

“Today was the main day and it was great that it came right today. It couldn’t have gone any better.

“I can’t believe it – it’s just a dream come true.

“I’ll be going home a very happy lad now at the end of the week.”

So, too, will Nicky Henderson.