Does Nicky Henderson hold winning formline in clash of two potential stars?

Saturday: 3.40 Cheltenham
Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Registered As The Classic Novices' Hurdle) (Grade 2) | 2m4½f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

Constitution Hill, Jonbon, Walking On Air and now Balco Coastal? Nicky Henderson already holds a strong hand in novice hurdles, so is he about to unleash another budding star?

He has sent some of his best novices to this race in the past. Bobs Worth was successful here in 2011 before going on to land the Albert Bartlett and his last two winners of this event, Santini and Birchdale, also went on to contest that staying event at the festival.

However, when the entries were revealed for the novice hurdles at Cheltenham in March, Balco Coastal's name didn't appear on the Albert Bartlett list. He is in the Supreme and Ballymore, so maybe staying isn't his game.

That's particularly interesting because Henderson already has Constitution Hill and Jonbon for the Supreme and Walking On Air in the Ballymore, yet he doesn't have an obvious candidate for the Albert Bartlett. Balco Coastal, who was second in his sole Irish point over three miles, could have been the yard's number one hope.

Henderson is 4-11 in this race since 2008, when he won it with Aigle D'Or, and that is his last winner to go on and compete in the Ballymore. Aigle D'Or went off 4-1 favourite for that race at the festival, but beat just two home and finished 80 lengths behind winner Fiveforthree.

The Albert Bartlett definitely looks the race for Hillcrest, the other emerging star on show here.

Henry Daly has been glowing in his praise for the seven-year-old, who has won his last four starts and all three over hurdles, including a course-and-distance Listed novice on New Year's Day.

Hillcrest defeated another Henderson novice hurdler, I Am Maximus, that day and was much stronger than that rival up the hill. Henderson clearly has a line on what's needed to beat Hillcrest on that piece of form, but Hillcrest is a huge horse with loads of scope for progress.

It might not be Shishkin v Energumene but we look set for a fascinating clash between two potential stars of the future.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

High hopes for Hillcrest in festival trial

Henry Daly hopes the decision to split up his promising novice hurdlers on the day will reap rewards as Hillcrest bids to maintain his unbeaten record over obstacles and set up a potential tilt at the festival.

The strapping seven-year-old has a perfect record from three hurdles starts and looked a class act in the making when victorious in a course-and-distance Listed novice hurdle on New Year's Day, which established him as one of the leading British candidates for the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in March.

Hillcrest (left): course-and-distance winner is unbeaten over hurdlesCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

With stablemate Bridge North heading to Doncaster for the River Don Novices' Hurdle, Hillcrest returns to Cheltenham for this Grade 2 contest, with the good ground unlikely to scupper his participation according to his trainer.

He said: "We had the option of Doncaster, but I was nervous about going there on watered ground in January. If the ground is quick at Cheltenham I may have a rapid rethink about running him, but I don't think it'll come to that."

Hillcrest is shouldered with a 5lb penalty for his success last time, but Daly is not fussed about giving weight to his rivals.

He added: "He's got to give weight away, but you expect that as he's won his races this winter."

What they say

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Balco Coastal
I like him but this looks a good race. He won a bumper by 17 lengths last season and we'd looked for easy novice races to bring him in quietly but it turned out the form of both races wasn't bad at all. I know where we stand with Hillcrest as he beat I Am Maximus last time and he's a good horse. We're taking him on with something slightly different as Balco Coastal comes from the Irish point-to-point field, but he's quite speedy. He's got to get the trip but I'm pretty sure he will. Good ground will help and I've taken the hood off as they'll go fast enough.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Harper's Brook
We've always liked him a lot. I thought he'd run better than he did at Sandown last time but hopefully it was one of those days where it just didn't work out. We're hoping for a big run.

Alan King, trainer of North Lodge
He's been given time since pleasing us with his winning debut at Aintree early last month and is a lovely long-term prospect who I hope can build on that fine start.

Richard Phillips, trainer of Picanha
He's in good form and I'm just hoping the ground will be okay. Ideally he wants softer. He won a point-to-point on good ground but all his other wins have come with some cut. Ultimately he needs a bit further, but he's entered in the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett and if it was soft ground it would be beneficial. We'll have a look in the morning but ideally we'll let him take his chance.
Reporting by Matt Rennie

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