ALTIOR’S AWESOME
Nicky salutes third golden wonder!
FINDING a champion racehorse often happens just once in a trainer’s lifetime but Nicky Henderson has struck gold for the third time with the awesome Altior who returns to action at Newbury today.
Henderson is reluctant to draw comparison with the past legends he has trained but he cannot disguise his lavish praise for the magnificent Sprinter Sacre, his two-mile champion who became the third highest-rated steeplechaser behind Arkle.
When Sprinter Sacre bowed out of racing two years ago, Henderson remarked: “For a long time I protected See You Then (winner of three Champion Hurdles) and said he was our best horse but during Sprinter Sacre’s best two years, he was unbeatable. Literally unbeatable.” Altior has some way to go before he can be compared to Sprinter Sacre but Henderson cannot hide his admiration for the eight-year-old gelding.
“He’s come quite a long way into filling some very big boots, but he’s still got quite small feet,” he said. “They are growing, and if they keep growing who knows?” Altior, unbeaten in his 11 outings over hurdles and fences and twice a winner at the Cheltenham Festival – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle Chase – is raring to go after undergoing an operation to help his breathing.
“He will be at his most vulnerable on Saturday if he’s going to get beat,” said Henderson. “I would buy another week, I really would, but the only danger is, because he is so talented, the work is too easy for him. It’s frightening how good he is.
“I did want to get another school into him. He schooled last week and
was fantastic, but he was nearly too fantastic. He needs to do it again to take that freshness out of him – he was so fresh that he wanted to murder them.”
Henderson points out that Sprinter Sacre and Simonsig, the flying grey who also won the Arkle, were not only outstanding on the racecourse but were untouchable on his Lambourn gallops.
The same remark applies to Altior who is a rocket at exercise.
This is not surprising as his pedigree suggests he would be more at home running on the Flat.
His sire High Chaparral won the 2002 Derby and, regarding current three figure prices paid for jump horses, he was bought relatively cheaply for 60,000 euros.
“We are lucky as we’ve got a lot of good horses, but he can chew them up a bit!” explained Henderson. “He’s going to get beaten one day. I hope he doesn’t.
“His work is fantastic, his wind is fantastic, his jumping is fantastic. All in all he is just in great form and in excellent shape.” Henderson used today’s race, the Betfair Exchange Chase, as a stepping stone for Sprinter Sacre before he triumphed in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.
“We are all excited to have him back,” added Henderson. “The Champion Chase is what we need and it is just finding the right route in. We are all happy that he is pretty ready to go.”
Sprinter Sacre took the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice. On the second occasion it was not only a salute to the great horse but also a remarkable achievement from Henderson.
Many had called for the charismatic horse’s retirement as he had lost his way after suffering from an irregular heart beat but Henderson kept the faith.
Altior no doubt has a tough act to follow but he is with the right trainer if he is going to eclipse some undisputed past champions.