Andrew Nelis racing

  Shishkin is set to lead Nicky Henderson's squad into battle at next week's Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree. The Seven Barrows handler assembled what he views as a "pretty solid team" for the three-day meeting, which did not take place last season because of the coronavirus outbreak. Henderson admits Aintree will have a very different look to it this year without the usual crowds, but he is nevertheless looking forward to making the trip to Merseyside                     Andrew Nelis racing .

  Unibet ambassador Nicky Henderson gives his thoughts on the performances of some of his stable stars at the Cheltenham Festival and their plans for the rest of the season. The Seven Barrows handler spoke about his leading lights ahead of the 2021 Virtual Peter O’Sullevan Lambourn Open Day. Video tours and entertainment will be free-to-view throughout the Easter weekend, Friday 2nd April through to Monday 5th April, on the  Lambourn Open Day website. Racing fans across the globe will be able to see behind scenes at some of the UK’s leading training operations, with each Lambourn trainer’s page having a 360-degree stable tour, with horses of interest listed underneath. There will be a number of short videos and insight from some of the top names in Lambourn, including from Nicky Henderson and Oliver Sherwood. CHAMP We had two pretty good chances in the Gold Cup and that was very, very disappointing. To be fair it was all over after five fences with both horses. They were all r...

  Jonbon, whose stunning price tag matches his beautiful pedigree, produced a sparkling display on his rules debut in Newbury's bumper and could be something special, trainer Nicky Henderson said in his post-race debrief. A brother to the brilliant Douvan, Jonbon strolled home in a point-to-point at Dromahane for Ellmarie Holden in November and was then purchased by JP McManus for £570,000. That figure made him the most expensive point-to-pointer ever sold at auction and McManus subsequently placed his big-money buy in the care of the Lambourn-based Henderson, who had described the gelding as a "beautiful horse" and "exciting for everyone".                         Andrew Nelis racing 

Nicky Henderson  is considering treading the same path he did with Altior following his victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – by sending this year’s winner of the race, Shiskin, over fences next season. It was a move which worked perfectly with Altior, who won the Cheltenham Festival opener in 2016 and then famously extended his unbeaten sequence over jumps by 14 further races – including the Arkle Challenge Trophy and two successive Queen Mother Champion Chases. Although a final decision has yet to be made on  Shishkin ’s next move, he is already as short as 4-1 for the 2021 Arkle – and Henderson admits he is “tempted” by a switch to fences. Since falling on his debut over hurdles at Newbury in December, the talented six-year-old – who runs in the colours of Joe Donnelly, also owner of dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo – has improved with each run, culminating in a head victory from Abacadabras at the Festival. Henderson said: “Joe is a great man and he leaves it...

Nicky Henderson could explore options on the Flat during the summer with his smart mare Verdana Blue. Winner of the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton in 2018, when upsetting Buveur D'Air, she has not been seen since finishing fourth to another stablemate, Epatante, in the latest running of the Grade One showpiece on Boxing Day.

Nicky Henderson will do all he can to get Altior to the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase after revealing the brilliant two-miler was found to be lame on Sunday morning. Altior suffered his first career defeat over jumps at Ascot in November, but bounced back on his return to his favoured two miles in the Game Spirit at Newbury last month. All had been set fair for an eagerly-awaited showdown with Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi at Cheltenham on Wednesday. But Henderson told the PA news agency: “Unfortunately Altior was lame this morning, due to an old splint that has been dormant. It’s never bothered him before and typically it rears its ugly head now. “We are working away and there’s lots we can do, we have two days, but it’s an uphill battle. We have the treadmill he can go on and it’s very cold water, which helps these things a lot. “We have to keep going. We’re working away and we’ll either get lucky or we won’t.” He added: “He was sound as a pound yesterday – yo...

Shishkin and Asterion Forlonge are two of 16 runners declared for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday. Since making it no further than the second flight on his hurdling debut, Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin has proved himself a top-class prospect with two facile victories at Newbury and Huntingdon – propelling him to favouritism for the traditional Festival curtain-raiser. Henderson also runs Chantry House and Allart in his bid for a fourth Supreme success. Willie Mullins has won the race more than any other trainer, saddling four of the last seven winners and six in all, with Tourist Attraction providing him with his very first Festival success when striking gold in 1995. His chief contender this time around is Asterion Forlonge, who like Shishkin carries the colours of owner Joe Donnelly. The grey is unbeaten in three starts under rules and ran away with a Grade One at Leopardstown last month. Like Henderson, Mullins fires a three-pronged assault, ...

Nicky Henderson was thrilled with what he saw from Pentland Hills, Fusil Raffles and Verdana Blue as they continued their preparations for next month's Unibet Champion Hurdle with a racecourse gallop at Kempton. The three Cheltenham protagonists were among 13 horses sent to work at the Sunbury track on Tuesday morning in what has become an annual pre-Festival tradition for the Seven Barrows handler. Working over a lap and a half on the all-weather track, none of the trio passed the post at the front of their gallops, with Pentland Hills and Verdana Blue finishing second and third respectively behind Adjali in the first group and Fusil Raffles following home Birchdale in the third lot.

NICKY HENDERSON POINTS SHISKIN BEST CHANCE .                                ANDREW NELIS RACING NEWS REVIEWS .                                                      Will seven Barrows trainer Shiskin prevail at prestbury park next month !. Nicky Henderson has went on record to state that  Shiskin his one of his best Hope's of a festival winner, that's quite a statement seeing he has  Altior and epatante and Santimi among his charges.  Now we have the same owner has got Asterion Forlonge in there also trained by willie Mullins, and even at this late stage they don't same to be separated, as I'd thought the latter would go to the Neptune . The supreme over the years has produced some fine winners  Altior  Douvan and Vautour , willie .Mullins has ...

        CHAMPION HURDLE CONTENDER PPENTLAND HILLS                                                    ANDREW NELIS RACING NEWS AND REVIEWS .          Champion hurdle hope has had a minor wind op reports from its trainer Nicky Henderson . The 2019 Triumph hurdle winner didn't seem to be hitting top form as of late , the wind op is something they done , not because they were heating noise from the horse , but in the believe it may could help him in the future  .  He hasn't really followed up , since his win at Aintree at the end of last year ,  beaten a nose in his last  race  by BallyAndy   one thing I will say , and it's not to say that you can completely rule Pentland Hills out with champion hurdle glory ,  the last horse to win  the champion  was Katchit , s...

   Cheltenham QM Champion Chase                   Andrew nelis racing  One of the hottest races of the Cheltenham festival , great winners down through the years , sprinter Sacre sizing Europe, Altior , Moscow flyer so many more  I could name many more. Now we have a very open affair this year , Altior ( Nicky Henderson trainer ) is the current champion going for three in a row . Now Altior stepped up in trip for the first time in his career  it was a move that wiped his 100% record out   by a defeat of cyrname ( Paul Nicholls ) the highest rated horse in training . Was it  Altior step up in trip that got him beat  or was it a horse maybe in the decline , he has achieved everything put in front of him winning a supreme a Arkle and two champion chases , not knocking a great horse , just simply  seeing that maybe he has peaked , and it always happens when a young gun or guns  ...