Altior 'much perkier' as Nicky Henderson visits star fighting colic

Nicky Henderson said he was "really happy" with the improvement shown in Altior after the trainer visited his former flagbearer who continues to recover from a severe bout of colic.

Altior won four times at the Cheltenham Festival when trained at Henderson's Seven Barrows in Lambourn but now lives with former jockey Mick Fitzgerald, where he is continuing to recover.

The 13-year-old remains in intensive care having undergone two operations but his situation looks slightly better than initially feared on Wednesday night.

Henderson tweeted on Friday afternoon: "I went to see Altior last night and was really happy to see how much perkier he was. There's still a long, long way to go for him and we mustn't get complacent, but I would like to thank you all for your continued support."

Altior won 21 races from 26 starts, including the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Arkle Chase and two Queen Mother Champion Chases in successive years.

Henderson, writing in his Unibet blog on Thursday, said: "There is still a very long way to go and the next stage is try to wean him off the artificial feeding system towards more natural, normal feed which will test his internal organs and if they can cope.

Altior: won ten Grade 1s in a stellar careerCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"It'll be a big change and the question, to put it very simply, will be if his gut will still work, so it's another big day with plenty of risks involved. With each step comes another big test.

"Mick and Chloe saw him last night and said he was definitely much brighter and perkier in himself, which is a good sign. I was unable to visit yesterday but will be seeing him later today and Pat Pugh [owner] has barely left his side.

"A lot of people say he was a fighter on course and he's now having to prove it off it as well, but we're keeping fingers and toes crossed that he pulls through, and we'll keep everyone posted with any further news."

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