'Apart from Constitution Hill, he was the biggest part of Cheltenham for us' - the festival blow that still hurts Nicky Henderson

The main mission for Nicky Henderson at last season's Cheltenham Festival was accomplished – but the trainer is still pained by the memory of the horse who would have been his second most important runner at the meeting missing out through injury.

Henderson was speaking to the Racing Post for an exclusive interview in Sunday's newspaper in which he recalls the moment that made him vow not to "ruin" horses for the sake of public opinion, opens up about the most heartbreaking losses suffered in his long career and reflects on the fallout of the decision made with owner Michael Buckley and jockey Nico de Boinville to keep the Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill over hurdles this season.

Constitution Hill was the key runner for Seven Barrows at Cheltenham in March and duly got the job done for the team in the Champion Hurdle, but Henderson had also been very much looking forward to running Steal A March in the Pertemps Final.

The progressive eight-year-old, owned by King Charles and Queen Camilla, had won three of his last five races over hurdles, culminating in a qualifier at Wincanton on Boxing Day, and looked to have every chance of providing a royal winner at the meeting.

His memory jogged by a phone call informing him Steal A March will soon be back in the yard, Henderson said: "He'd won his qualifier, he was getting into the handicap in just the right place and we'd got him spot on.

"Apart from Constitution Hill, he was the biggest part of Cheltenham for us, to be able to get the King and Queen a runner there, and one with a really good chance.

"They were hoping they'd be able to come to the meeting, and I knew how much groundwork Cheltenham had put into preparing for it, and then Henderson mucks it up. The horse went wrong the week before the race, and that was that. It was so disappointing. It really hurt."

Read more from Nicky Henderson in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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