Henderson Festival prospects enhanced by treble

And, after his stable suffered several setbacks on successive Saturdays, notably reigning Gold Cup hero Long Run’s unexpected comeback defeat at the hands of Kauto Star, Henderson was relieved to record a 34-1 big-race treble at Cheltenham on his 61st birthday.

More pertinently, the winning triumvirate are all likely to be major players at the National Hunt Festival in March.

First up was 6-1 chance Quantitativeeasing, second in last month’s Paddy Power Gold Cup, who won a dramatic Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup after being eighth turning for home.

He was a fortunate winner. He is owned by JP McManus, whose first string Sunnyhill Boy, the subject of an almighty gamble, did not fire under champion jockey AP McCoy, who had wasted down to 10st 4lb in order to ride the eventual 7-2 favourite.

Then Great Endeavour – last month’s Paddy Power winner – blundered badly on the back straight when leading. A fence later and Keith Mercer parted company with Ferdy Murphy’s well-fancied Divers, who will now be prepared for the Byrne Group Plate at the Festival.

So it continued until jockey Barry Geragthy chased down Medermit and Roudoudou Ville in a thrilling finish, firing Quantativeeasing between the two tiring horses within the shadow the winning post.

Geraghty rode Henderson’s other winners, too, first when helping 5-2 favourite Grandouet to manage the considerable feat of passing the iron-willed Overturn in the StanJames.com International Hurdle.

This was the first time the four-year-old Grandouet has taken on older horses and he looks a potential Champion Hurdle winner in the making.

It got better still when Oscar Whisky (4-9 favourite) brushed away the challenge of Get Me Out Of Here to land the Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle.

He could prove a formidable opponent to Big Buck’s in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle next March when the Paul Nicholls-trained star seeks an unprecedented fourth successive victory in the three-mile contest for staying hurdlers.

Geraghty certainly thinks so, implying that this was why Henderson chose this two-and-a-half-mile contest for Oscar Whisky rather than Saturday’s Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot where Big Buck’s will be seeking a 14th straight win.

“It has been a great day, but it relies on a lot of people working together and it’s a happy coincidence it all happened on December 10,” said Henderson.

Of Quantitativeeasing, he continued: “The horse has been very consistent and you’d have to say he deserves one. He was second at the Festival and in the Paddy Power, so he’s got one back at last.”

Of Grandouet, Henderson added: “We had to come here to see if he’s a Cheltenham horse rather than wait for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, and you have to say looking at that, he is.

“He’ll probably have a break and then one more run before the Champion.”

Henderson has to run Oscar Whisky in the Welsh Champion Hurdle for his owner, Ffos Las supremo Dai Walters, but his ultimate target remains up in the air.

A double for champion trainer Paul Nicholls was rather overshadowed, even if Join Together delivered a fitting tribute to Denman by pushing 12 lengths clear of Henderson’s Mossley in the Ryman The Stationer Novices’ Chase.

The gelding carries the colours of Paul Barber, owner of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman, who was retired on Friday.

Nicholls conceded he was extremely fortunate in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, because Deireadh Re (2-1 joint-favourite) was left in front only when the clear leader Sea Of Thunder took a crunching fall at the last.

There was to be another emotional victory in the Jenny Mould Memorial Handicap Chase when Astracad (11-4 favourite) pulled out all the stops in the famous green and white silks of the late owner’s husband, Raymond.

Jenny Mould was also the godmother of winning jockey Sam Twiston-Davies, who showed why he is regarded as AP McCoy’s natural successor when pipping his friend and rival Aidan Coleman’s mount Rileyev on the line.

Astracad, a potential top trainer, is trained by the jockey’s father Nigel who said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the horse and myself. Jenny Mould was one of my first owner’s ever so it was a race we badly wanted to win.”

Richmond jockey Keith Mercer faces another spell on the sidlines after breaking his arm when falling from Divers at Cheltenham. He undergoes surgery today – just weeks after returnnig to the saddle following a 14-month lay-off with a broken leg.

Mercer was replacing Graham Lee, Ferdy Murphy’s stable jockey, who suffered a double collarbone break at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Both riders are likely to be sidelined for two months.