Old Park Star owner praises Henderson in wake of Supreme victory

Gordon Hall said that moving his horses to Nicky Henderson has been “a breath of fresh air” after Old Park Star maintained his unbeaten record over hurdles with victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Last summer, Hall and his wife Su decided to take a…

Today’s highlighted runner

East India Express

5:20 Cheltenham

“He ran a great race at Windsor last time giving plenty of weight to the winner and had he not made a small blunder at the last, might probably had won. Freddie Gordon knows him extremely well, and rides him every day at home, and it would be nice to make him leading conditional this year. The good advantage to us is that we have the most experienced conditional riding a horse he knows inside out who has already won over course and distance.”

Nicky Henderson
Jingko Blue and James Bowen win the BetMGM Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham. 11/3/2026 Pic Steve Davies/Racingmediapics.co.uk

Recent Lambourn winners…

11th March

Jingko Blue

Nicky Henderson

He’s been very lightly raced and this time last year we were talking about going chasing, but he fell in the Reynoldstown and had all sorts of problems, including some back surgery. He is A1 now, however, and that last run at Cheltenham in the Relkeel was very good which would certainly bring him into this, you’d like to think.

PRICE 9/2F
10th March

Holloway Queen

Nicky Henderson

She was very good at Newbury where she never stopped galloping and appeared to really enjoy herself out front, although whether she will be able to employ those tactics in a race at the Cheltenham Festival is another matter because everyone will be wanting to get a good position and there no one takes any prisoners! We will be monitoring the ground, however, because it might not be the best idea to run her if conditions aren’t suitable for her at this stage of her life, but we’ll see.

PRICE 12/1
10th March

Old Park Star

Nicky Henderson

He is still a big baby with a big frame to fill and is unlike the likes of Altior who was very much the finished article at that stage of his career, but his jumping has been exemplary and he is undoubtedly a very high-class animal with an obvious chance. He’s made all the running in every race so far, and has hardly seen a horse but hopefully in a field like this he shouldn’t need to be doing that because there should be some pace on.

PRICE 15/8F
9th March

Otie’s Friend

Nick Scholfield

Ran well in couple of bumpers. We have been biding our time before hurdling in the spring. Hopefully this is a good opportunity.

PRICE 13/8F

News in brief…

Birthday winner Saratoga storms to success for JP

JP McManus celebrated his 75th birthday in style when getting off the mark at this year’s Cheltenham Festival with Saratoga in the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle under a polished Mark Walsh ride.

Ground quickens for second day of Festival, but rain is on the way

Ground conditions have become slightly quicker at Cheltenham on Wednesday after less rain fell overnight than had been expected. The going was described as good to soft, good in places at 6.21am, having been officially good to soft all round on the first day of the meeting.

Johnnywho leads home JP McManus 1-2 in pulsating finish to the Ultima

Johnnywho produced a power-packed finish to spring a surprise in the Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase, leading home a 1-2 for owner JP McManus and giving jockey Richie McLernon a first festival win in 12 years. 

James Bowen lands a memorable first festival winner on Holloway Queen

A Bowen recorded his first win at the Cheltenham Festival, but not the one many expected as James Bowen beat his brother and champion jockey Sean to the milestone in the National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase. The winning jockey, who missed the festival last season, partnered the Nicky Henderson-trained Holloway Queen to land the final race of day one in commanding fashion.

Lambourn – the home of top-tier racehorse training – take your pick!

THE Lambourn Trainers Association (LTA) is a pivotal organization that stands at the heart of British racing, representing the interests and aspirations of trainers based in the world-renowned Lambourn Valley. Nestled in the Berkshire countryside, Lambourn has long been the training ground for some of the finest racehorses in the world. The Lambourn Trainers Association plays an instrumental role in preserving and advancing this rich heritage, supporting its members, and ensuring that the valley continues to thrive as a hub for top-tier racehorse training.

Holloway Queen and James Bowen win the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. 10/3/2026 Pic Steve Davies/Racingmediapics.co.uk
Holloway Queen and James Bowen win the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. 10/3/2026 Pic Steve Davies/Racingmediapics.co.uk
Laguna Beach and Nico De Boinville give trainer Nicky Henderson a double on his 75th birthday at Hereford. 10/12/2025 Pic Steve Davies/Racingmediapics.co.uk
Laguna Beach and Nico De Boinville give trainer Nicky Henderson a double on his 75th birthday at Hereford. 10/12/2025 Pic Steve Davies/Racingmediapics.co.uk

OUR TRAINERS’ STATISTICS FOR THE CURRENT FLAT & JUMPS SEASONS

GB FLAT    Current Season Jan 2026-Dec 2026

TRAINER WINS RUNS PRIZEMONEY
Clive Cox 4 20 £85,781
Jamie Osborne 7 43 £70,438
Ed Walker 5 24 £69,500
Archie Watson 6 51 £51,898
Richard Hughes 5 33 £45,959
Jonathan Portman 1 19 £35,538
Mark Usher 3 36 £22,288
Nicky Henderson 1 2 £22,263
Charles Hills 2 12 £18,333
Tom Dascombe 1 8 £16,932
William Muir & Chris Grassick 2 10 £15,970
Daniel & Claire Kübler 1 9 £12,778
Roger Teal 2 14 £9,692
Tom Ward 1 10 £6,589
Stan Moore 0 14 £6,123
Dominic Ffrench Davis 1 9 £5,815
Edward Smyth-Osbourne 0 3 £920
Owen Burrows 0 1 £291

GB JUMPS    Current Season May 2025-Apr 2026

TRAINER WINS RUNS PRIZEMONEY
Nicky Henderson 60 252 £1,481,484
Jamie Snowden 70 258 £841,949
Harry Derham 45 203 £669,560
Warren Greatrex 36 153 £386,910
Nick Scholfield 10 63 £103,968
Tom Dascombe 1 9 £87,368
Oliver Signy 2 33 £30,443
Archie Watson 2 15 £19,380
Toby Bulgin 1 7 £13,129
Dominic Ffrench Davis 0 10 £398
Jamie Osborne 0 3 £0
Mark Usher 0 3 £0
Roger Teal 0 5 £0