BEST OF THE REST

NICKY HENDERSON aims to fill in one of the few remaining blanks on his Cheltenham CV — the WellChild national Hunt Chase — by saddling MiSTeR coFFey to victory in the three-mile, six-furlong test. The eight-year-old finished second in another of the Festival’s races for amateur riders under Sam Waley-Cohen — Derek O’Connor has been booked this time — in last year’s Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase. Mister Coffey (right) has finished runner-up in two starts at Chepstow and Uttoxeter this term, and Henderson says: “He was unlucky to be beaten last time. “We wanted to make the running but there was a false start and a standing start and he stayed standing. “Then he got caught horribly wide the whole way round. He should have won. This is what we’ve been aiming at all along. He’s good, but we’ve had to teach him to settle. He’s still a novice — he shouldn’t be — but he is a novice with a lot of experience.” There are three Henderson runners in the Pertemps, WalkiNg oN aiR caPTaiN MoRgS and Mill gReeN. Walking On air and Captain Morgs line up on the back of wins at exeter and Cheltenham respectively, while Mill Green took third in a Pertemps qualifier at Haydock in February. “Walking On air won at exeter and I was very pleased with him, and Captain Morgs has been doing very well,” adds Henderson. “Mill Green was third in it last year and is in good form.” NexT DeSTiNaTioN, a Grade 1-winning hurdler for Willie Mullins and successful at Grade 2 level over fences for Paul nicholls but yet to make his debut for Seven barrows, holds an entry in Thursday’s Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir.