Sandown the favoured option for superstar Sprinter Sacre
WHEN steeplechasing superstar Sprinter Sacre rolled back the years to win last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase after being treated for a fibrillating heart, the mesmerising performance was hailed as the impossible dream by trainer Nicky Henderson.
He knows that nothing will surpass the spine-tingling moment when his horse of a lifetime was afforded a standing ovation as he was led back into the hallowed Cheltenham winner’s enclosure – this was one of the all-time great comebacks.
Yet, while connections might have been tempted to retire Sprinter Sacre after victory in Sandown’s season-ending Celebration Chase to round off a perfect campaign that saw the black chaser record four wins from four starts, they’re gearing up for a newseason.
It will not be easy. There’s every likelihood that the Willie Mullins-trained Douvan, a mesmerising winner of the Arkle Trophy for novices, could be the great champion’s sternest challenge yet and Henderson is mindful not to over-exert his stable star – Sandown’s Tingle Creek Chase in early December is the intended reappearance race.
“Sprinter was unbelievable,” said Henderson yesterday as he reflected on the magnitude of the horse, the third highestrated steeplechaser of all-time, replicating his Champion Chase win of 2013 before being struck down with a career-threatening condition.
“It was something else, to be honest with you. I think everyone enjoyed it more than I did. He is a bit special. It is wonderful when they do come back and it doesn’t happen very often.
“He has become a very public horse. It means a lot to us. It gives us a lot of support and Caroline Mould (owner) a lot of support. Everyone is rather fond of this horse.
“It’s to the horse’s credit, really. If they have got that sort of talent I suppose that is why we persevered as it would have been a shame to let it go to waste. If he hadn’t shown us what he was showing us this time last year we would not have done it again.
“We would have said it was great fun. I’m not saying he is what he was, but by the time we got to Sandown at the end of the season he was very nearly as good as I’ve ever seen him.
“The only thing we do know about this season is that we’ve got Douvan in front of him and that is going to be entertaining, whatever happens. Sprinter will go straight to the Tingle Creek.
“He will not have many races this year, I think.”
This is the time of the year when jump trainers dare to dream of Cheltenham glory, none more so than Warren Greatrex who is looking forward to Cole Harden going novice chasing.
Victorious in Wetherby’s West Yorkshire Hurdle two years ago en route to winning the 2015 World Hurdle when leading from start to finish over three miles under an inspired Gavin Sheehan, Cole Harden never showed his best form last season.
However, Greatrex believes he has got to the root of the problem.
“He had some cartilage removed from his knee,” said the trainer. “He has not had a summer holiday as he can get very fat in the field, so he has been in all the time recuperating from that. He will go novice chasing. I want to give him the easiest time possible as it will give him confidence and we will see the best of him.
“I can probably bring him back in trip so I can keep a bit more petrol in the tank and he won’t have Grade One horses snapping at his heels, that is if he takes to fences which Gavin thinks he will. If he has not taken to fences then we might have to go the World Hurdle route again.”
Also going novice chasing will be One Track Mind, who won Grade One honours at last April’s Punchestown festival.
“When we bought him as a three-year-old we thought he could be our Gold Cup horse in years to come,” said the trainer. “He has everything you want he travels and jumps for fun. He has plenty of class and stays extremely well, which is what you want. We will start him somewhere small early November over two-and-a-half and go from there.”
Locally, Malton trainer Malcolm Jefferson’s Cloudy Dream made a winning chase debut at Carlisle yesterday under in-form North Yorkshire jockey Brian Hughes, recording a fourtimer at the Cumbrian track.