The leading
trainer title at the Cheltenham Festival has been dominated by three
men over the past decade – Nicky Henderson, Willie Mullins and Paul
Nicholls.
And it’s fair to say that the
leading trainer at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival is likely to
be one of the trio again. The likes of David Pipe, Jonjo O’Neill
and Philip Hobbs are all expected to have fancied runners come March,
but those stables lack the strength in depth of their contemporaries.
Here, we take a
look at the firepower which Henderson, Mullins and Nicholls can aim
at this year’s Festival.
NICKY HENDERSON
Leading trainer
at the Festival on 10 occasions, Henderson sent out only one winner
12 months ago when Whisper landed the Coral Cup. He has suffered a
couple of setbacks already in the build-up to this year’s Festival.
My Tent Or Yours, runner-up in last season’s Champion Hurdle, is
out for the season and Simonsig,
who has not run since winning the 2013 Arkle and could have been a
Ryanair Chase contender, is also still absent. However, dual Festival
winner Sprinter Sacre returned from over 12 months on the casualty
list to finish second at Ascot in mid-January. Henderson is confident
Sprinter Sacre will benefit greatly from the run and the
nine-year-old has a solid chance of regaining his Champion Chase
crown. Peace
And Co [pictured] is a warm favourite for the Triumph Hurdle and showed
his versatility with a win at Cheltenham on trials day. L’Ami
Serge will go to the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with a live
chance and, if Josses Hill can brush up the jumping, then the Arkle
is no forlorn hope. Then there is Bobs Worth in the Gold Cup. The
2013 winner of the race floundered in the conditions at Leopardstown
over Christmas, but a return to Cheltenham in the spring gives him a
chance of landing a blow in a relatively open renewal. Also keep an
eye on whatever Henderson runs in the Grand Annual.
WILLIE MULLINS
The leading
trainer at the Festival for the past two years, Mullins will be
the favourite to take that title again. He followed up his seven wins
in 2013 with four last year as Faugheen, Vautour, Quevega and Don
Poli struck. Faugheen will go into this year’s Festival as a warm
favourite for the Champion Hurdle, for which Mullins also has
two-time winner Hurricane
Fly. Don Poli has to be feared in either the RSA Chase or the
National Hunt Chase, while Vautour is favourite for the JLT Novices’
Chase. Annie Power, who was second in last year’s World Hurdle,
will be very hard to beat in the Mares’ Hurdle as well. And Mullins
has an enviable batch of hopefuls in the novice hurdles, with Douvan,
Outlander and Black Hercules all to be respected. Un De Sceaux could
be his banker of the week in the Arkle Chase and Champagne Fever will
go into his fourth Festival with a chance of a third win when he
contests the Champion Chase. Mullins has yet to win the Gold Cup and
he is likely to send last year’s narrow runner-up On His Own and
the progressive Djakadam into battle.
PAUL NICHOLLS
It has been a
relatively barren couple of years at
the Festival for Nicholls, who was leading trainer for four years
in a row from 2006 to 2009. He won just one race in 2013 and the same
again last year when Lac
Fontana took the County Hurdle on the last day. It is still
too early to say who Nicholls will be aiming at the handicaps and his
novice hurdlers look to have a bit to find at present, especially
compared to those at Mullins’ disposal. However, Nicholls does have
the Gold Cup favourite in Silviniaco Conti, who is expected to see
out the trip much better than when fourth to Lord Windermere last
year. Silviniaco
Conti will not run again before the Gold Cup, like Nicholls’
other possible for the race Sam Winner. In the Champion Chase, which
Nicholls has won with Call Equiname, Azertyuiop and Master Minded, he
has the improving Dodging Bullets. Already a dual Grade One winner
this season, Dodging Bullets has to be feared. Big Buck’s gave
Nicholls four successive wins in the World Hurdle, and Saphir Du Rheu
and Zarkandar will both head to the race with solid chances. Al Ferof
will merit respect if he goes for the Ryanair Chase and Ptit Zig is a
strong contender for the JLT Novices’ Chase.