ALT ON HIS OWN

Henderson’s superstar Altior to make fans Tingle all the way

RACING fans can enjoy an early Christmas bonus at Sandown today with the return of the best jumper in training.

Nicky Henderson’s brilliant two-miler faces just three rivals in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (3.00, ITV4).

And there are not many better sights than seeing Altior in full flow over the fences that form the Railway straight. Flawless in three runs here – and pretty much everywhere else – he has notched up a perfect nine out of nine in his chasing career.

Last year he suffered an interrupted preparation following a wind problem and was forced to miss several key races including the

Tingle Creek.

The eight-yearold only had one run – at Newbury in February – prior to the Cheltenham Festival but he still won the Champion Chase by seven lengths from Min despite hating the soft ground.

This year Henderson’s (above) superstar has enjoyed a perfect run-up and, although Altior is a skinny price at 8-11, it will be a major shock if he is beaten. If this race was a handicap he would give

7lb, 16lb and 17lb. So expect Nico de Boinville to steer Altior home to land the £84,000 prize.