Epatante shows her class
EPATANTE left it late to win the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on her debut this season for Seven Barrows trainer Nicky Henderson.
Saturday’s victory for Epatante was Henderson’s sixth in this race as the six-year-old edged out Sceau Royal to stay on course for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
East Ilsley trainer Hughie Morrison had Not So Sleepy in the race, but drama at the first hurdle saw jockey Paddy Brennan unsaddled.
After the race, Henderson said: “It is relief as much as anything because of everything she did last year and there was no fluke about it.
“I thought she was great. She is a proper hurdler, she is quick, fast, slick and the great thing is you can press a button and off she goes and it’s great that it works.”
Now the Seven Barrows trainer believes the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton will be next on the list for Epatante, ahead of a return to the Cheltenham Festival in 2021.
He said: “She will go to the Christmas Hurdle, almost certainly.
“That’s why this fits in better than the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. I was delighted to see her do that and the gears worked.
“She will come on, she has been to Newbury for a racecourse gallop and she has been in good form where we have had a troublefree run.
“She had a superb summer and she came in looking fantastic from Martinstown and it makes my job easier and it is nice to see something quicken up like that,” added
Henderson.
Meanwhile, Seven Barrows stable star Altior is due to make his seasonal debut at Sandown on Saturday.
Altior, whose last outing came at Newbury in February, is chasing a second Betfair Tingle Creek victory in three years, having edged out Un De Sceaux in 2018.
He is undefeated in five chase starts at Sandown Park, having also landed the G1 Celebration Chase in 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as the G1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase in 2016.
A restricted season in 2019/20 saw Altior only run twice and he will be making his first start since landing the G2 Win Bigger On The Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury in February.
Another contender to have made a successful start to the 2020/21 campaign is Rouge Vif (Harry Whittington), who made light work of 11st 7lb when sauntering to a seven-and-a-half length victory in a competitive two-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham towards the end of October.
He also showed high-class form last season when successful in the G2 Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick and when third in the G1 Arkle Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March.
It’s another busy weekend for Henderson and the Seven Barrows team as Santini and Might Bite are due to return to action at Aintree on Saturday.
Santini will run in the Many Clouds Chase, against the likes of Al Dancer, Frodon and Native River, while Might Bite lines up in the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase.