NICKY HENDERSON showed why he is the king of the Festival as Buveur D’Air gave him an unprecedented seventh victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Victory looked far from certain for the 4-6 favourite when Melon edged into the lead after the last hurdle under Paul Townend, but Buveur D’Air put his head down and fought like a lion when the patient Barry Geraghty finally asked for some serious effort halfway up the run-in.
They snatched back the lead to win by a neck, with Mick Jazz running a blinder for a 25-1 chance in third.
Geraghty, registering his third victory in the race, after Punjabi and Jezki, best summed up this knockout bout with a terse remark: “That was tough – there was nowhere to hide.”
Henderson, who began the day by having to withdraw his lame second string My Tent Or Yours, shared that view.
“It was a brilliant race,” he said. “They went a good gallop throughout and Buveur D’Air and Melon were able to then keep that gallop up in the closing stages. It was a great contest to keep that up the whole way.
“They were two very brave horses, with two brave jockeys. Buveur D’Air had a battle on his hands, probably his first real battle this season.”
Henderson confirmed his place as the most successful trainer at the meeting with this 59th victory. His first Festival win had come in the same race, the first of a trio of Champion Hurdle crowns for See You Then in 1985.
Buveur D’Air will bid for his own hat-trick next season but more immediately the gelding will go to Aintree next month.
“We have four weeks until Aintree, so we could go back there again if there is soft ground in the going description,” he added. “I’ll speak to J P McManus and then we’ll make a decision.”
Winning owner McManus was also celebrating his seventh Champion Hurdle, which started with the first leg of Istabraq’s hat-trick in 1998. Buveur D’Air became his 53rd Cheltenham Festival scorer yesterday.
McManus said: “I’m keeping up with Nicky! I’m thrilled as Barry missed out last year with injury and while Noel Fehily gave him a great ride last year, it was nice that Barry was involved and got to share in it and enjoy it.
“Barry got the job done and looked strong as did Paul Townend on Melon. Barry just got the better of him.
“It’s very special to win any race at the Festival, and it’s even better to win one of the championship races. All my winners were special on the day. Binocular won the 2010 Champion Hurdle like the second coming at the time; Jezki was good in the 2014 Champion Hurdle – it’s just so hard to compare them.
“When Istabraq first won it was a very emotional day because of the death of John Durkan, who bought the horse and without whose input I would never have owned him. There were tears and joy and a wonderful occasion, and when we think of Istabraq we always think of John.”
Geraghty, McManus’s retained rider, remarked: “It was a long year last year, but it’s been a great year this time and I can’t complain.
“Coming here, you are banking on a winner. Bad luck was the only thing that was going to beat him. He didn’t get bad luck and he won. It’s great to get a winner – I missed last season and it’s great to get a big winner for your boss.” chance to complete his Champion treble in 2019 and Summerville Boy was introduced to the market at 10-1 after taking the opening Grade One Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in gutsy fashion under Noel Fehily.
When the Tom George-trained sixyear-old fluffed the second-last flight, losing several lengths, his chance was reflected by his in-running odds of 43-1 on Betfair.
However, he was soon back on an even keel and after being untidy again at the last, it is testament to his considerable talent that he managed to power up the hill and confirm his Tolworth Hurdle superiority over Kalashnikov by a neck.
George, who was saddling just his second Festival winner following the success of Galileo in the 2002 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, said: “He must have a huge engine. He definitely made two serious mistakes, if not three, and I thought he’d do well to finish in the first four, but he just kept picking up.”
Getabird was the 7-4 favourite for the dream team of Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, but racing keenly and making much of the running, he was a spent force rounding the home turn and passed the post in 11th place.