Health scare for Champion Hurdle favourite Epatante
Henderson says cough should not hinder work Johnson back with two winners to aid title chase
Epatante, the 3-1 favourite for the Unibet Champion Hurdle, was the subject of a health scare 12 days before the race when Nicky Henderson reported that his star mare, runaway winner of the Christmas Hurdle, had been coughing.
The trainer has not ruled her out of the race – indeed, he is “more than hopeful” it will not interfere with her Cheltenham preparation. “There is no obvious reason we can detect,” the trainer said. “Her blood tests are normal and she is feeling very well and fresh in herself. She’s fit as a flea. Obviously, all the team could do without this scare, but it does not prevent her continuing her routine work.
“Both my vets and I are more than hopeful this will not interfere with her Champion Hurdle preparation. She is now on medication which will not affect her racing or training. We will blood test and scope her again on Monday. Touch wood, she is the only horse which has coughed at Seven Barrows this week.” Meanwhile, Richard Johnson reignited the defence of his jockeys’ title and reduced the lead of Brian Hughes to 18 winners when his first two rides back after breaking his arm, Made For You and Dubai Guest, won at Musselburgh.
That the four-time champion had forsaken Ludlow, a racecourse almost on his doorstep, for a six-hour drive to Scotland was a clue in itself and an indication of his intentions – as if we did not know – as far as retaining his title is concerned. Made For You, who won the handicap hurdle, gave him the better workout, pulling hard before needing to be ridden hard to get up near the line to win by a neck. “I’ll definitely come on for the run,” he said afterwards.
“It’s nice to be back and nice to have a winner, so it ticked all the boxes. If I could do that every other day it would be an easy job. If I’d gone to Ludlow I definitely wouldn’t have ridden a winner, so it was well worth it.”
Hughes, who missed the Musselburgh meeting and a day’s riding to appeal a four-day ban for using the whip down the shoulder in a forehand position in a jumpers’ bumper at Wolverhampton on Sunday, had a partial victory with his ban reduced to two days, a net gain of one day.