Nicky Henderson Stable Tour 2024/25 - Key quotes from top trainer

His season was fraught with disaster as the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle was abandoned and we had to wait for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton which he won in style. The Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham in January had been the next intended run, but he scoped badly and had to miss the race and then his usual pre-Cheltenham Festival gallop at Kempton went badly wrong. There was further sting in the tail when he suffered a bout of colic shortly before he was due to go to Aintree and he was put away for the season. He also has had a wind operation, and I hope that we are back in tip top shape now. The Fighting Fifth will, once again, be his target and let’s hope we have an uninterrupted run, and he gets back where he belongs.

He was a flagship once again for us and the season began with victory in the Shloer and he then followed up in the Tingle Creek. The Clarence House was rescheduled for Cheltenham, and he met his only defeat of the season when going down by a neck to Elixir De Nutz and making a dreadful mistake coming down the hill. With our horses under a cloud, we didn’t go to the Festival and we waited for Aintree to step him up to two and a half miles for the first time and he came through with flying colours when beating Conflated. That sent us onto Sandown and he put up a fabulous performance to beat El Fabiolo four lengths. His programme will be much the same with the Shloer, Tingle Creek, Clarence House and the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham as he deserves to win that race.

She put up a stunning performance under 11st 8lb when winning the Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Ascot in December. She then took her chance in the Champion Hurdle and probably put up her greatest display to date to be beaten only three and half lengths by State Man. She never runs a bad race and, hopefully, we can have more great days with her.

She has been a superstar for Middleham Park Racing and she will once again be running in good company over two and a half miles and three miles during the winter.

He has an unblemished record over hurdles and won his first two starts for us in great style. He was a warm favourite for the JCB but, although there seemed little wrong with him, he was one of our stars to miss Cheltenham. We knew Kargese was a highly-rated four-year-old but he went for the Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle and beat her fair and square. He has grown considerably, and we are thinking he will jump a fence one day, but I think he will stay over hurdles this time and we can see how high he can go. It can sometimes be difficult for a four-year-old but we are hoping he is going to make into a true Grade 1 hurdler.

He has come in looking extremely well and, as a winner of his point-to-point and Aintree bumper, he knows his job well. We will see how far we can go with him, but he looks a very exciting prospect.

He is a youngster we have always liked and despite running green he made a winning debut in what looked a competitive bumper at Wincanton in January. It had been the intention to run him in the Doncaster Sales race at Newbury but, like a few of ours at the time, he wasn’t right. He has schooled well over hurdles and loves his jumping and he will go straight over hurdles, He will probably start over two miles, and he looks to have a very bright future.

She is ready to go over hurdles and she has summered very well and schooled very well. I think she could be pretty useful in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle division, and we like her a lot.

He won his bumper nicely at Bangor and, although the ground was soft in both his bumpers, he may be much better suited by decent ground. He has got plenty of talent and should do well over hurdles this season.

He was very impressive in his point-to-point and we bought him at the Doncaster May Sales. He was given a summer holiday and looks magnificent. We are really looking forward to seeing him in action and he could be a very exciting prospect.

She is out of a lovely mare we had, Bloody Mary, and she was an impressive winner of her point-to-point. She is coming along nicely and will start off over hurdles shortly. She is an exciting prospect, and she could be anything.

She won a valuable listed novice under strange circumstances at Lingfield but has previously won her novice at Hereford. We might try her over fences in time, but she has some unfinished business over hurdles before that and has a very bright future.

We like this horse a lot. He won a decent novice at Doncaster in December and added to that victory at Kempton in April. He was then beaten by a very well handicapped horse at Warwick, but he can continue to progress, and he will jump a fence in time.

We switched him back to hurdles last year and he ran some commendable races despite the handicapper having his say. We haven’t decided whether to go hurdling or chasing again but he has come back looking fabulous. It would be great if he could regain some of his past glories but, whatever, he has been a very special member of the team.

He won his last two starts over hurdles and I think he will stay two and a half miles, but chasing will be his game at some stage. We are very much looking forward to seeing him progress further with experience.

She had a few niggles after winning nicely at Taunton, but she had a really good summer and we would like to think has a bright future.

He’s come back in looking as well as ever and as enthusiastic as ever. He might give him another go over fences but otherwise he will be back in big handicap hurdles.

We began her campaign over hurdles at Wincanton in November where she won very easily and then took her to Haydock for a listed mares’ hurdle in December when she followed up in a decent field and gained some winning black type. The ground was virtually unraceable and she just couldn’t handle it despite having won on heavy at Haydock previously. She could go hurdling, back on the Flat or even chasing if we wanted. She has come back looking really well and we are looking forward to her again.

She wasn’t right after running so well in a Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster in January, so we took the decision to give her an early break. We brought her back for the Galway Hurdle where she ran well for a very long way and then she went back to Martinstown for another break. She needs a bit of luck, but she is a very high-class mare, and we are looking forward to her return.

He showed he was a high-class horse when winning at Newbury in November and went back there for the Challow Hurdle but pulled too hard and was never going to get home. He wasn’t right after, and we put him away to recover from his ailments. He has returned a much stronger individual and I am sure he can go on and show he is the high-class horse we think he is. He will jump a fence one day but there is plenty of unfinished business over hurdles before we think of that.

He finished second to a very good horse of Willie Mullins’s, Quai De Bourbon, at Ayr on Scottish National Day and showed us how much talent he really has. He will go chasing at some stage probably sooner rather than later as he has always been a very sound jumper.

He returned to training last season after recovering from injury and he returned with a solid success in a conditions hurdle at Ascot. He ran another cracking when beaten by only Go Dante in a handicap hurdle at Cheltenham and then was a fast finishing fourth in the Betfair Hurdle. We thought another half a mile would suited and went for the Coral Hurdle at Cheltenham, but he may not have had the experience for that race and didn't jump as well as he can. He looks a chaser in the making but he could still take very high rank over hurdles.

We decided to give him a bit more time after he came into training last year and he is no longer a novice over hurdles. We will have to see how he gets on in his early campaign, but he will definitely jump a fence and remains a very exciting prospect.

The handicapper obviously has him under his control, but he continues to run to a very high level. He had a couple of goes over fences in the spring and we may well persevere with that this season. He has been a star over the years and been to all the big events and acquitted himself with distinction.

He won his first race over fences at Southwell and his jumping that day was exemplary. He wasn’t as good next time at Uttoxeter but may have found the ground too much on the easy side. His handicap mark has risen but I hope he can continue to progress.

He made a winning reappearance in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle last season and, after disappointing at Ascot, bounced back to his best when landing the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury. He is a very talented horse with loads of potential and it is possible we could switch to chasing.

He won a competitive novices’ handicap at Cheltenham in good style and then ran second to our Luccia in a good race at Ascot. We stepped him up in trip in the Lanzarote Hurdle and he ran a respectable third, but he may not quite have stayed two miles five. He has come back looking really well and he has the make and shape of a chaser.

He did extremely well in his first season over hurdles and won the Tolworth was run at Aintree for the first time. He sort of suffered as a result of that win as he was carrying a 5lb penalty in two Grade 2s and then ran really well at Aintree after being badly hampered two out. He has done very well over the summer, and he now goes novice chasing where he could well go to the top.

He battled on well to win the Rossington Main but as we know a lot of our horses were not at their best at the time and this proved the case with this lad. I would think he will almost certainly go novice chasing this season and he should be top class.

He is another very high-class novice we have in our care, and he won impressively under 12st in a novice handicap at Sandown. He is another we have ready to go in novice chases and I would hope he is another with a bright future.

He is a very exciting prospect and won both of his hurdles over two and a half miles at Cheltenham. You would be certain he would stay further but he doesn’t lack any pace and he has done very well during the summer. There is a possibility he could go straight chasing and we can look forward to a very productive route whichever way we decided to go.

He won what looked like an ordinary race at Plumpton but then went to Cheltenham and followed up in a three-mile Grade 2. He was one of ours that couldn’t go to Cheltenham and he may not have been at his absolute best at Aintree but was an encouraging fourth. He has grown considerably during the summer and chasing will be his primary objective this season. He could well be very, very good over fences.

He was so good over fences at home that I took him straight to Ascot but I don’t like starting novices at the bigger tracks and he wasn’t fluent and jumped left which isn’t clever at Ascot. Going left-handed at Exeter next time didn’t help the situation bit hopefully his issues are behind him and he is still a maiden over fences. He has the potential to leave his past chasing form well behind.

She won three of her four starts over fences very impressively and suffered a freakish accident which kept her out in the spring. She has grown and strengthened up during the summer and she should have a bright future.

He is only a five-year-old but won a novice chase at Auteuil and was places in a listed chase before joining us. He had the four-year-old allowance when winning a Graduation Chase at Ascot and we were forced into some tough handicap chases after and it didn’t work out. He is still a novice over hurdles and, hopefully he can prosper there before going back over fences.

She ran some very encouraging races last season and had her crowning moment when winning the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase at Sandown. We had toyed with the idea of running in the Grand National but wouldn’t have made the cut and now she has risen to 149 she would get in. She will contest all the Listed and Graded races for mares and let’s hope she has another successful season.

He has been a consistent horse both over hurdles and fences and was back on the winning trail at Kempton in March when winning narrowly. He is a sound jumper, and I am sure he will find more success this season.

When everything is right for Quick Draw, he loves his racing but he certainly is a bit of a character. He has to have good ground and has a preference for small fields He loves to bowl along in front and dictate matters. He has come back looking extremely well and should be out shortly.