Altior may remain among the entries for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but trainer Nicky Henderson insisted his Arkle Trophy favourite is highly unlikely to be rerouted form his intended target despite his impressive win under Nico de Boinville at Newbury on Saturday.
Willie Mullins’ Douvan heads the ante-post market for the feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival and is the shortest-priced favourite of the entire festival.
However, with Henderson having already seen a number of Rich Ricci’s leading lights ruled out of Cheltenham due to injury, the Seven Barrows trainer has understandably left Altior in the race.
If Douvan turns up at Prestbury Park, it would seem that only a bold edict from Altior's owner could sway Henderson.
Shades of Sprinter Sacre? Awesome Altior saunters home at 30-100 to win the Betfair Exchange Chase and make it 4 from 4 over fences #BSS pic.twitter.com/hUbBflmKNS
— Newbury Racecourse (@NewburyRacing) February 11, 2017
“I don’t see any point at the moment,” Henderson said of a Champion Chase bid on 2fm’s Game On programme.
“I will say there was a forfeit for the Champion Chase this morning and I have left him in.
“But that’s not to say I’m still thinking of changing my heart or my mind.”
The caveat to that was the role owner Patricia Pugh would play in the decision.
“If they say, ‘Henderson, it’s my horse, I can do what I like with it; we’re going to run in the Champion Chase’, then obviously it’s a different ball game!”
Two facets of Altiors 13-length dismissal of Fox Norton in the race best known as the Game Spirit Chase particularly pleased his handler.
“It was good,” Henderson said.
“There were a few question marks there.
“One, obviously ground, it was the first time for a while - and certainly over fences - that he’d run in soft ground.
“Also, it’s the first time Nico’s ridden him.
“Nico broke his arm, so Noel [Fehily] rode him the first three times.
“I had to get the run in because otherwise, if we didn’t, he could have gone straight to Cheltenham and that would have meant Nico was going to be riding him having never ridden him on a racecourse over fences.”
