It’s been a tough week for Nicky Henderson with having to finally call time on attempts to get Sprinter Sacre to Cheltenham to defend his Champion Chase crown. He was always fighting a losing battle and there is no doubt that there is a sense of relief at having made the decision.
He has been outlining plans for the rest of his festival team and it is interesting to read his comments. Obviously the big two are Bobs Worth (Gold Cup) and My Tent Or Yours (Champion Hurdle) but the two that he appears most hopeful about are Oscar Whisky and Dawalan.
Oscar Whisky is a regular visitor to Cheltenham but he has disappointed in the past two World Hurdles. The general consensus is that he did not stay the three miles and Henderson has finally accepted that he is a two and a half mile horse. He has switched to fences this season and has not impressed everyone despite winning three of his four starts.
He was narrowly defeated by Taquin De Seuil in a slowly run race in November but gained revenge on that horse on New Year’s Day. On both occasions he was left to make most of the running, not necessarily ideal for a horse that usually delivered a late run over hurdles. In between those two races he beat Wonderful Charm by half a length in receipt of 8lbs.
His last race seems to have done him more harm than good as far as punters are concerned. The valuable Scilly Isles fell into his lap against just two rivals but it took place on heavy ground and he seemed to make heavy weather of it. My instinct is to ignore that run and base his chances on his previous outings over course and distance on decent ground. At 10-1 with Ladbrokes he looks cracking each-way value.
Dawalan has done enough to run in the Triumph Hurdle but Henderson has always felt that he was not good enough and is an ideal sort for the Fred Winter. He has won his last two races and was also a fair fourth behind Calipto and Activial at Newbury. That form now looks exceptional but he will presumably be weighted accordingly.
The betting for the Fred Winter includes names like Ivan Grozny, Pearl Castle, Plinth and Tiger Roll. Some, if not all of those will be running in the Triumph. I’m happy to take the early 10-1 as he will be shorter when the declarations are made.
Oscar Whisky at 10-1 (JLT Novices Chase) Ladbrokes
Dawalan at 10-1 (Fred Winter) Paddy Power, William Hill
