Six of the best for Henderson
TUESDAY’S Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival was a history maker as legendary trainer Nicky Henderson (pictured) recorded his sixth victory in the great race, while equally famous owner, and punter, JP McManus reached the 50 Festival winner mark.
The six-year-old Buveur D'Air was supposed to be at the Festival as a novice chaser this year, but the ever shrewd Henderson changed his mind in January and his decision-making proved spot on once again as the bay stormed to a 4,5 length victory at odds of 5-1 to give jockey Noel Fehily his second Champion Hurdle victory.
Henderson is now the most successful trainer in the history of the Champion Hurdle, as well as being the Festival’s most successful trainer overall.
McManus’s six victories in Britain’s most prestigious hurdle event is also a record.
McManus owned the horse regarded by many as the greatest hurdler of all time, the Aiden O’Brien-trained Istabraq, who won the Champion Hurdle three times in succession from 1998-2000. McManus, who has a range of business interests, has always been a keen gambler too. He was a bookmaker at one stage, but gave up his license to concentrate on punting in 1982.
Things didn’t initially go to plan and he needed his Edward O’Grady-trained Mister Donovan to win the Festival’s Sun Alliance Hurdle of that year. McManus made a reported 250,000 pounds when the horse won at odds of 9-2 to give him his first Festival victory.
Buveur D’Air
McManus admitted after Buveur D’Air’s victory on Tuesday he had lumped so much on Mister Donovan 35 years ago there might not have been a second Festival winner had the horse lost.
McManus hired the most successful jockey in jumps history, Tony McCoy, for a reported one million pounds a year retainer in 2004.
McCoy’s first Festival success in McManus’ famous green-and-gold hooped colours was on Reveillez in the Jewson’s Novice’s Handicap Chase in 2006.
The horse had opened at 6-1 and was backed into 9-2, including a bet of 100,000 pounds.
“I couldn’t let him run loose at 6-1,” whispered McManus.
Henderson has now trained 57 Cheltenham Festival winners.
He surpassed Fulke Walwyn’s previous record of 40 five years ago.
See You Then
His first Cheltenham winner was See You Then in the Champion Hurdle in 1985.
This horse went on to win the Champion Hurdle three years in succession.
Henderson saddled seven winners at the Festival in 2012, a record which was surpassed by top Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who sent out 8 winners in 2015.
Henderson has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, with Long Run in 2011 and with Bobs Worth in 2013, while McManus has won the meeting’s flagship race only once, with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Synchronised in 2012.
Henderson has no Gold Cup runners tomorrow, while McManus has two, the O’Neilltrained pair More Of That and Minella Rocco.