'You press a button and he goes - he's exactly what every trainer wants'
Lambourn correspondent James Burn gets the lowdown from the festival king
If one man is in a position to stand up against another Irish onslaught at the Cheltenham Festival it is Nicky Henderson, who has a heavyweight favourite for a Grand Slam event in Shishkin, the market leader for the Champion Chase.
Epatante, Champ and Chantry House are in the mix for the Champion Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle and Gold Cup and, while some might need a leap of faith to see them as winners, there is weight to Henderson's words when he speaks of his optimism and their wellbeing.
The future's bright too, extremely bright, as Jonbon and Constitution Hill are firmly in the could-be-anything bracket and both set for a mouthwatering Supreme.
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Published on inStable Tours
Last updated
Copy- 'He's bigger, stronger, definitely getting better - and he'll be a classy horse going back into handicaps'
- 'Our novice chasers are as good as anyone's in Britain - and this one is a proper horse'
- 'Having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival last season made a big difference - and this might be one for the same race'
- 'We're working back from the Gold Cup - he's a massive horse and lightly raced, so we hope there's more improvement to come'
- 'We're excited about him - we hope he's a Graded horse and we're working back from the Cheltenham Festival'
- 'He's bigger, stronger, definitely getting better - and he'll be a classy horse going back into handicaps'
- 'Our novice chasers are as good as anyone's in Britain - and this one is a proper horse'
- 'Having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival last season made a big difference - and this might be one for the same race'
- 'We're working back from the Gold Cup - he's a massive horse and lightly raced, so we hope there's more improvement to come'
- 'We're excited about him - we hope he's a Graded horse and we're working back from the Cheltenham Festival'