Nicky Henderson Stable Tour 2026/27 - Key quotes from popular trainer

He has been a high-class performer for us over the past three seasons and, if anything, improved again last year. We stepped him up to three miles and he won a Pertemps Qualifier under topweight, a Grade 2 Hurdle at Newbury and then capped that with a win in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. The second half of the season didn’t go smoothly but he’s still a very high hurdler and, hopefully, he will thrive again in staying hurdles this season.

He won the Arkle two seasons ago over two miles, but we knew he wanted further and he turned out to be one of our stars again. He won the Ladbrokes 1965 Chase at Ascot over two miles and five and then went to Kempton for the King George and in a nail-biting finish he was beaten less than a length into fourth. We went straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup after that, and he ran another cracking race to finish second to Gaelic Warrior and then ended the season with an easy success in the Bowl Chase. Let’s hope we can see more of the same this season, but he won’t be ready in time for the King George and the long-term aim is another crack at the Gold Cup. He has given us an immense amount of excitement, and I hope he will continue to do so for his owner Tony Barney.

He has had another great summer at Martinstown and has come back fresh and well. I would expect he may start in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham which he has won twice before and then going to the Tingle Creek at Sandown which he has won three times. He still has his own foibles, but he has settled down quite considerably down the years and has become much more straightforward. He had to miss the Celebration Chase at Sandown as the ground was too quick but he’s a great horse and we look forward to several more exciting days in an already wonderful career.

He had a successful first season over fences when three times including the Henry VIII at Sandown and the Game Spirit at Newbury and he finished an honourable third in the Arkle. He clearly wanted further and we went to Aintree for the Mildmay, but his jumping wasn’t up to scratch and he unseated Nico. He has to tidy up his jumping and, if he does, he has a great future as a staying chaser.

He couldn’t have done any better for us last season and remained unbeaten in four starts for us which culminated in his victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. At the moment we are thinking of going novice chasing and hoping that we will be back at Cheltenham next spring for the Arkle. He has loads of scope and is clearly a very exciting project.

He was an impressive winner of his point-to-point, and he came to us in the spring. He looks a very exciting prospect for novice hurdles, and he is a lovely individual.

As he won a Junior National Hunt Novices Hurdle in January, he is still a novice for the coming season and begins this autumn with experience under his belt. He could be an exciting prospect for this season.

He won his point-to-point nicely in April and I would think he will go straight over hurdles. I think his long term future will be as a chaser, but we can have a lot of fun before then.

We bought her at the Doncaster May Sale with the idea of running her in the Sales race at Newbury and she just got collared close home. She schooled before she went out for the summer and we are hoping she has a big future over hurdles.

We bought her at the Aintree Sale, and she is a very imposing filly who should do well for us in mares’ novice hurdles this autumn.

He won a hurdle in France before we bought him, and he won’t be a novice for very long but we hope he has a very bright future for us.

He has three runs at Auteuil and was an impressive winner in May. He is an imposing individual who will make a chaser but could find further success over hurdles before then.

He looks a very exciting prospect for the season ahead and he ran respectably in the Fred Winter on ground that would have been fast enough for him.

She isn’t the biggest, but she has summered very well, and we look forward to seeing her in action. She will have a penalty for her win in France, but she has a great attitude and is a filly we like a lot.

She had one run in the spring and did all that was asked of her to win quite nicely. She has schooled very well, and we look forward to seeing her in mares’ novices’ hurdles.

He starts the season as the winner of his three races over hurdles but, as a result of the Junior NH initiative, he is a novice without a penalty. He is a very exciting prospect for the season and let’s hope he can carry on in a similar vein.

We thought he was pretty useful going into his bumper at Kempton and he didn’t disappoint us. He is the heaviest horse we have ever recorded at Seven Barrows, but he is well proportioned and we are very excited about his novice hurdle campaign.

He won a handicap hurdle for us over three miles at Ayr on soft ground and that will be the aim for him again this season. He will be seen to best effect when there is plenty of cut in the ground.

He was green as grass on his hurdling debut at Warwick last December but looked a different proposition at Southwell next time. We did want to give him another race, but the ground stopped us. He looks every inch a chaser, but we have unfinished business over hurdleS before we contemplate that.

He has been a great servant to us in handicap hurdles and has run very well for Freddie Gordon in some major handicaps. He was a little unlucky at Windsor on New Year’s Day and he will continue in stay handicaps hurdles with Freddie on board as always.

He came to us from France and delighted us on his debut at Newbury when he was ultra professional and jumped beautifully. Unfortunately, he came back from that race with a problem, and he won’t be out until the second half of the season. We will see when he comes back before we make any decisions, but he will certainly go over fences one day.

He won a valuable staying handicap hurdle at Windsor and basically, he needs soft ground. He can be seen to best effect when he gets his conditions.

We have already some big days with him in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Betfair Handicap Hurdle at Newbury and last season he was up the task again when winning the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at Kempton. He improved last season for the step up in trip and we would be looking for more of the same from him this season.

His jumping wasn’t convincing over fences, so we went back over hurdles and he proved a revelation. He was second in the Grade 2 Relkeel at Cheltenham and then went onto win the Bet MGM Cup at the Festival. He then finished the season beating our Lucky Place in the Grade 2 Select and I think he has to stay over hurdles.

She had mixed fortunes last year, but she did win twice over hurdles, loves soft ground and two miles is certainly her trip. I hope she can in the thick of the action in decent handicap hurdles this season.

He struggled over fences, so we switched back hurdling and he finished the season with an excellent second to Jingko Blue in the Select Hurdle at Sandown. He will follow the Graded Hurdle route and, hopefully, he can be very competitive at that level.

She came to us from France after winning a hurdle race at Auteuil and won for us Haydock before finishing a respectable seventh in the Fred Winter after encountering traffic problems. She has done well over the summer, and we are looking forward running her in handicaps when there is plenty of give in the ground.

He had a tremendous first season over hurdles when winning his maiden at Newbury and then went onto win the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon. He ran another exceptional race in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival and was only beaten two and a half lengths by King Rasko Grey. He’s had a lovely summer break with his owners Gordon and Su Hall, and he has an abundance of size and scope, so the plan is to go novice chasing. He jumped his hurdles very well and could be an even better chaser.

He won his maiden at Ascot nicely in December, but it took him a bit of time to get over that race, and we didn’t see him in action again until Ffos Las in April. We haven’t decided whether to keep him over hurdles for the time being or whether to send him chasing.

He finished second on his only start over fences and he could have a bright future as he is still only six-year-old.

He showed some decent form over hurdles last season, but I am looking forward to seeing him over a fence. He has plenty of size and scope and he could be an exciting prospect in novice handicap chases.

He won his first two races last season at Doncaster and Wincanton, and we took him to Punchestown for a valuable handicap hurdle and put some cheekpieces on him. We thought they would help but it had the opposite effect. He will be going novice handicap chasing starting over two and a half miles and we will go from there, but he is a horse we like.

He had a highly promising campaign in his first season with us, and he will start straight over fences this season. He looks something to look forward to in that sphere.

He did very well for us over hurdles last season and won at Kempton and Bangor. He has come back from his summer break looking great and he will almost certainly go straight over fences. He wants soft ground and he could go a long way in the novice chase division this season.

He is a very progressive chaser, and he really showed his true colours after getting off the mark over fences in a novice handicap at Newbury. He was second to a well handicapped horse at Uttoxeter and then was unlucky to come down at the second last at Punchestown when holding every chance. Long distance staying chases will be his target this season.

We thought we were heading in the right direction when he won nicely at Kempton, but his last two runs had us scratching our heads. I’m sure we can get him back to his best and we are hopeful of another good season.

He won well for us at Newbury and Sandown when we switched to fences but didn’t perform to his best on his final start at Aintree. I have lost no faith in him, and he remains a lovely horse with a bright future.

We sent her chasing last season and she proved a revelation after Christmas when bolted up in a novices’ handicap at Newbury with an exemplary display of jumping. There was better come in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival when she gained another impressive success and that had us thinking of the Irish National and the bet365, but we put that on the backburner. She is still a six-year-old with a bright future ahead of her and a race like the Coral Gold Cup would be on the agenda. A lot will depend on the ground, but she goes on good ground as well as very soft and, hopefully, there are even more exciting times ahead.

He did very well for us when switched to chasing last season and won three times. He was pulled up on his final start at Punchestown, but he had been on the go for a long time and I think we can look forward to another rewarding campaign with him.

She was bought at the Cheltenham Sale in December after winning her point-to-point. She suffered a little setback in the spring which stopped us from getting a run into her, but she has returned looking very well and we are looking forward to getting her going.

He was bought at the Punchestown Sale and couldn’t have won his point-to-point any easier. We should be in for some exciting times ahead with this fellow.

She has an outstanding pedigree being half-sister to Regent’s Stroll amongst others and she made a very promising debut as she was never going to be an early maturing type. We don’t know whether she will have another run in a bumper or go straight hurdling but I would suspect she has a very, very bright future.