NICKY’S RECORD BID
NICKY HENDERSON, the most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival with 60 winners, will make history if Might Bite captures today’s Gold Cup.
No trainer has won the ‘big three’ – the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup – in the same year and Henderson, 68, is acutely aware that it will not be an easy task.
Henderson recalls the time when he was assistant trainer to the great Fred Winter, the only person to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National as both jockey and trainer, when he was responsible for the favourites in the three headliners at the Festival in 1973.
“We went there with three worthy favourites,” said Henderson. “Pendil was beaten by The Dikler in the Gold Cup, Crisp was beaten by Inkslinger in the Champion Chase and Bula was done by Comedy Of Errors in the Champion Hurdle. We came away with zilch!”
Henderson, successful with Buveur D’Air in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle and Altior, the Champion Chase on Wednesday, believes the final leg with Might Bite will be a tough ask. “Of course, I’d love to make history,” said the fourtimes champion trainer. “But I feel Might Bite has the hardest task of the three.
“He’s in great form and we’re really excited to be coming to the race with such a great chance.”
Jessica Harrington, trainer of Our Duke said: “Nicky has that gift of getting his horses right on the day and it’s really a gift. He’s the past master at it.”