28 February 2023 , 16:57
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Nicky Henderson looks set to keep his top mares apart at the Cheltenham Festival, giving him a shot at sweeping the board in the fixture’s three senior championship hurdle events with Constitution Hill, Epatante and Marie’s Rock.
With Constitution Hill long odds-on favourite for the Unibet Champion Hurdle, the trainer indicated that Epatante would tackle the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle and Marie’s Rock run in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle next month.
Britain’s most successful Festival trainer got the answers he was looking for when the pair were among nine of his big race entries, headed by stable superstar Constitution Hill, to gallop on Kempton’s all-weather track.
The stable’s now annual pre-Cheltenham trip was just a day out for Constitution Hill, who gave a start and a beating to his two work companions but helped decide targets for the other horses trying to add to his 72-win record at the meeting.
“The only thing that would be up for discussion now – and I think this gives Nico and myself a bit more of a clue – is Marie’s Rock.” he said.
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“I’ll talk to Tom Palin (from owners Middleham Park Racing) and we’ll have a look at the Stayers’ Hurdle. Nico was very pleased with her and Aidan was very pleased with Epatante. She isn’t technically in both (the Champion Hurdle and the Mares’ Hurdle) but she could go for either.
“JP (McManus) will decide what he wants to do, but if Epatante went to the Mares’ Hurdle I could see a very good reason for Marie’s Rock moving up to three miles in the Stayers’ Hurdle as that’s what that snapshot was telling us there.”
Marie’s Rock, who won the Mares’ Hurdle last year, and 2020 Champion Hurdle winner Epatante, are the second and third favourites for the Mares’ race behind Honeysuckle, the two-time Champion Hurdle winner who, due to the emergence of Constitution Hill, will not be defending her crown.
“We’re pretty sure Epatante gets two and a half as she did at Aintree for all that I agree it’s not quite the same as going that trip at Cheltenham,” Henderson added.
“That scenario would suit me but it isn’t about me, it’s about trying to do the best we can for each individual horse. It does realistically give all three of them a shot of winning a race. It just feels a little bit like common sense after watching what was happening today.
“I thought Epatante was great and she’s in very good form within herself. She’s quite big but she didn’t have a big blow. Jonbon was good and he did get warm today, but that’s why things like this do him good.”
The trainer added that Buzz, an outsider for the Stayers’ who has been recovering from a long term injury, will not be ready for the Festival.