Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018

RACING
SANDOWN PARK
3 February
Sandown Park, Surrey
THE reigning champion hurdler
Buveur D’Air was the highlight
of a Sandown treble for Nicky
Henderson on Saturday
(3 February) — three winners
which took the trainer to the
100-winner mark for the
2017/2018 season.
Henderson is building quite
a team for Cheltenham — he will
enter Champion Chase favourite
Altior for a possible reappearance
in the Game Spirit at Newbury on
Saturday (10 February) and take
a view on the ground.
However, if there was any
disappointment for the champion
trainer about Sandown’s Betfred
Contenders Hurdle it was that
there were only three runners, and
nothing capable of getting Buveur
D’Air out of second gear, let alone
his comfort zone.
He only beat last year’s
Swinton Hurdle winner John
Constable a length and three
quarters and having eased down
a bit prematurely — a signal the
seven-year-old gelding took as
the moment to down tools —
Barry Geraghty had to ride him
out over the last 100 yards to
avoid embarrassment, although
the runner-up was substantially
flattered by the winning margin.
Buveur D’Air has now gone
nearly two years unbeaten over
hurdles but Henderson made it
very clear he would keep having
to pump work into him if he is to
retain his title.
“It’s job done but he needs a
huge amount of work so it’s not
really job done,” he explained.
“He’s got to keep working and
I wouldn’t rule out a canter round
Kempton or somewhere like that
nearer the time. He’s a very burly
horse and, like a lot of us, puts
on weight very easily. He loves
that ground; the one thing which
would worry you is good to firm.”
The day started well for
Henderson when the JP
McManus-owned mare Countister
won the Betfred Novices’ Hurdle.
However, racegoers were deprived
of what would have been a
cracking finish when the longtime
leader Ainchea — for the
Potts/Tizzard axis — arrived at
the last on a half stride and in two
minds about whether to come up
Terrefort lands a Grade One novices’ chase, ridden by Daryl Jacob
Buveur brushes
rivals aside
Nicky Henderson fires off a treble, but warns his invincible
Buveur D’Air needs more work after an easy win
long or stick in a short one. In the
end he did neither before falling.
Countister had loomed up on
to the quarters of Ainchea at the
second last but, having led at
a sedate pace, the leader left the
mare a bit flat-footed between the
two hurdles. Ainchea looked like
he might have nicked it, thereby
causing further frustration for the
Colin Tizzard yard.
Henderson’s third winner
was courtesy of Terrefort in the
Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novices’
Chase. He has always said that
Apple’s Shakira shows next to
nothing at home and Terrefort
is clearly another one which
hides his light under a bushel
at Seven Barrows.
“I’m happy to keep eating
humble pie as he keeps surprising
me,” he said. “The handicapper
[who put him up a stone at
Huntingdon] is right and I’m
wrong. This seemed an enormous
bounce from a handicap into
Grade One. We schooled him on
Buveur D’Air (Barry Geraghty) stretches his
winning run to almost two years, cantering
home in the Betfred Contenders Hurdle
‘He’s a burly
horse and, like
a lot of us, puts
on weight easily’
NICKY HENDERSON ON
BUVEUR D’AIR’S FITNESS DRIVE
Thursday and when Daryl Jacob
jumped him over 10 fences you’d
have wondered how he’d jump
round here. You couldn’t watch
anything slower at home but I love
horses that do that to you.”
There was also a tremendous
finish between the Bowen
brothers, Sean and James, in the
Betfred Mobile Masters Handicap
with Ballydine, ridden by Sean,
just getting the measure of James
on Holly Bush Henry. Charlie
Longsdon might aim the winner
for the National Hunt Chase
now. H&H
Pictures by Bill Selwyn
68 Horse & Hound 8 February 2018