Top National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson is unlikely to look back on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival with too much fondness when he retires from the sport.
Henderson went into the meeting with a plethora of fancied runners, but finished the prestigious four-day event with just two winners.
Much like the unpredictability of the games at online casino Vegasino, the volatile nature of horse racing impacted Henderson before the meeting had even started.
His French-bred star Sir Gino was the ante-post favourite for the Arkle Novices’ Chase, but was ruled out of the race after being admitted to a veterinary hospital due to an infection.
The five-year-old picked up what Henderson described as ‘super-bug’, which caused severe complications to the ligaments in his near hind leg.
The veterinary specialists at Donnington Grove have been treating Sir Gino, and have now allowed him to return to Henderson’s Seven Barrows stables.
“He’s been at Donnington since way before Cheltenham and it’s been pretty nasty, but Henry O’Neill and his team have done amazingly,” Henderson said.
“They think they’re on top of it, which is the main thing, but we have to stay on top of it. He’s got a long recuperation and rehabilitation to come before we get an idea if he’s going to be a racehorse again, but everyone is hopeful.
“He’s got all of the summer to come, when he’ll hopefully get out in the field, and everyone has done a brilliant job.
“It’s a bit sad, though. The one thing he won’t do is win an Arkle because he won’t be a novice anymore, but all that matters is that he comes through it.”
Henderson is adept at bringing horses back to their best after a lengthy lay-off and he will be desperate to repeat the trick with Sir Gino.
He famously guided Sprinter Sacre back from a series of health and injury problems to win the two-mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham in 2016.
Henderson looked set to deliver another remarkable comeback at this year’s meeting with 2023 Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill.
The horse missed the opportunity to defend his title after suffering a series of niggling issues, but returned to action with a superb victory at Kempton Park over the festive period.
After recording another impressive win at Cheltenham in January, the eight-year-old was installed as the odds-on favourite to regain his two-mile hurdling crown.
Everything appeared to be going to plan during the early part of the race, but a dodgy jump at the fifth flight of hurdles sent Constitution Hill crashing out of the race.
Henderson has subsequently confirmed that the horse is fine after his mishap and will probably be aimed at the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in May.
Talented Irish hurdlers State Man and Brighterdaysahead are expected to lead a strong challenge from the home contingent, but Henderson is confident Constitution Hill can bounce back.
“He’s going to have to just go back to school for a moment, but that’s not a problem,” Henderson added. “We’ll do that and think about what we do next.
“He’ll run again – where we’ll go, I’m not quite sure, but I’d have thought Punchestown is most likely. It’s the most obvious thing to do.
“The one thing you have to be careful of in May is the ground is the worry, but I’m sure they’ll do a good job there. I’d have thought all going well, that will be the plan.”
