Nicky Henderson said on Wednesday he could know as soon as this weekend whether an operation in November has cured a wind problem affecting Altior, the country’s outstanding two-mile chaser.
Altior was already odds-on for the Champion Chase in March with many bookmakers when it emerged on 15 December that the eight-year-old had “made a noise” at exercise four days earlier. Following an operation to address “a small issue whereby his larynx was not opening sufficiently”, Henderson admitted facing a race against time to get Altior, who has not raced since 29 April, fit in time for the Cheltenham Festival.
“He’ll be stepping up this weekend to the point I will nearly know if I’m hearing what I heard that time,” Henderson said. “He’d never made a noise before and he wouldn’t be making a noise where he is now [in his preparation] but I’m nearly getting to the point where he was.”
Depending on Altior’s progress over the next fortnight, it is still possible he could have a prep-run for Cheltenham in Newbury’s Game Spirit Chase on 10 February. Even if he is not competing, a big crowd on Betfair day here should still catch sight of Altior at some stage.
“Whatever happens, if he’s not quite ready for the Game Spirit I’d be asking Richard [Osgood, Newbury’s clerk of the course] if he could come and have a gallop,” Henderson said. “He’ll probably need two racecourse gallops and that would be the perfect timing for the first one.”
Henderson was speaking after saddling a one-two at Newbury,, as the 7-4 chance Whatswrongwithou beat the odds‑on favourite Ok Corral. Both horses could have entries in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while Henderson also hopes to extend a rich vein of form when the novice Brain Power lines up against Un De Sceaux in the Grade One Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday.
“It’s probably a mad thing to do,” Henderson said, “but I want to get into a race where they will go a good gallop, and the one guarantee is that you’re going to go a good gallop with Un De Sceaux around. That was my rather un-Henderson-like logic.”
Southwell 12.20 Tilly Devine 12.50 Sunshineandbubbles 1.20 Angel Palanas 1.50 Axe Cap 2.20 Handsome Dude 2.55 Ingleby Spring 3.30 Something Lucky 4.05 Star Ascending
Ludlow 1.00 Passing Call 1.30 Happy Diva 2.00 Sego Success 2.35 Lygon Rock 3.10 Mendip Express 3.45 Vinegar Hill 4.20 Flash The Steel
Wincanton 1.10 Tacenda 1.40 Maguire’s Glen 2.10 Rathlin Rose 2.45 Triopas 3.20 Rainy Day Dylan (nap) 3.55 Inaminna
Chelmsford City 5.55 Hisar 6.30 Loyalty 7.00 Surrey Blaze 7.30 Shamrokh (nb) 8.00 Reiffa 8.30 Pulsating 9.00 Marshall Aid
