Nicky Henderson was the man in the spotlight last weekend thanks to a graded double at Ascot and Haydock. Following Jonbon’s thrilling Clarence House Chase victory and Old Park Star’s jaw-dropping performance in the Supreme Trial, the Seven Barrows handler takes aim at the next set of graded contests on the calendar.
Cheltenham sets the stage for this Saturday’s headline meeting, as the track plays host to the official Trials Day fixture. It’s all eyes on Prestbury Park for a card set to provide key pointers for the Triumph Hurdle, the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the Stayers’ Hurdle, the Champion Hurdle, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. With his preparations for the Cheltenham Festival well underway, and boasting more fancied contenders than most British trainers, Henderson looks set to be strongly represented on a cracking day of action.
JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
With six previous wins, Henderson is the most successful trainer in the history of this race for the four-year-olds, while his tally of seven wins places him top of the trainers’ table for the Triumph Hurdle itself. Of Henderson’s six trial winners, only 2015 champ Peace and Co followed up at the Cheltenham Festival.
Dan Skelton’s unbeaten Maestro Conti tops the market for the 2026 edition of this race. Henderson did have two strong entries in Feel Gut and Manlaga earlier in the week but both have been scratched at the 48 hour declarations stage. Sporting the Mrs J Donnelly silks carried to victory by Sir Gino in the 2024 edition, Feel Gut now looks set to make his first start for Henderson at Warwick on Friday. Second on his sole start for Jeremy Da Silva in France, he wouldn’t be the first ex-French runner to develop into a star for Henderson.
Manlaga boasts a very similar profile, but she did manage to win on her only start in France. Going in the green and gold of JP McManus, she has a likeable pedigree as a half-sister to the 142-rated hurdler Martator. She now looks likely to line up in a Listed fillies’ juvenile hurdle at Doncaster.
Unibet Hurdle
Responsible for the current favourites for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Arkle Chase, and the Champion Hurdle, Henderson could enjoy a memorable opening day at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. This 2m1f contest sees Sir Gino take his next step towards potential Champion Hurdle glory.
A brilliant 10-length winner of the Triumph Trial here in 2024, Sir Gino is unbeaten in seven career starts, including Grade 1 wins in the 2024 Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, the 2024 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and the 2025 Christmas Hurdle. The gap between those most recent top-level victories is a result of Sir Gino spending a year on the sidelines with a career-threatening ligament infection.
Given the time away and the severity of his ailment, his return at Kempton on 27th December inspired a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Would he be the same horse upon his return? Sir Gino answered that question in style when readily accounting for the reigning Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace. Following that six-length Christmas Hurdle romp, the five-year-old is the clear market leader for the 2026 Champion Hurdle and a short-priced favourite to claim this warm-up assignment. Dan Skelton’s Turners’ Novice Hurdle winner, The New Lion, leads the opposition, ahead of a pair of outsiders in Nemean Lion and Brentford Hope.
Pertemps Network Cleeve Hurdle
Held over the same course and distance as the Stayers’ Hurdle, this contest is the last of the key domestic trials for the Day 3 feature at the Cheltenham Festival. Established in 1983, the prize has so far eluded Henderson. The 75-year-old has come close over the years, most recently when saddling Champ to finish second in 2022 but has yet to make it into the winners’ enclosure.
The betting suggests that this may change in 2026, as it is the Henderson-trained Impose Toi who heads the betting at a general 5/6. Another who goes in the famous JP McManus silks, this son of It’s Gino reached a decent level over 2m4f-2m5f, with the pick of his efforts seeing him fill the runners-up position in the Coral Cup and a Listed event at Punchestown.
Promising as those efforts were, the eight-year-old has scaled new heights since moving up in trip. Three starts at 3m½f have yielded three wins, including a first career Grade 1 in the Long Walk Hurdle last time out. Strong Leader, who was second behind Impose Toi in the Long Walk Hurdle, looks like providing the strongest challenge.
AIS Novices’ Hurdle
Turners’ Novice Hurdle credentials are under the microscope in this 2m4½f event, won by talents such as Wichita Lineman and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth. Heading into the 2026 edition, Henderson and Alan King top the all-time trainers’ table with four wins apiece.
While King doesn’t hold an entry this year, Henderson sends out Act Of Innocence, who seems likely to start as favourite on the day. In common with Old Park Star, this six-year-old is owned by Gordon and Su Hall and was formerly based at the yard of Paul Nicholls. Having scored on his debut for Henderson in November, Act Of Innocence tasted defeat at the hands of the Paul Nicholls-trained Minella Yoga at Newbury last time out. However, he went down by only three-quarters of a length that day, despite conceding 20 pounds to the winner, and remains a horse of considerable potential.
Nicky Henderson traditionally does well at this fixture and is well placed to add to his tally in 2026, with the hugely talented Sir Gino the standout name on the Trials Day team sheet.