Reveling triumph for trainer Nicky Henderson in the farewell week of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival
The 2012 Cheltenham Festival was by far the most memorable for the hall mark British trainer Nicky Henderson who did not only break the winning record but also won the Grade 3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup. The interesting fact about
this victory is that the race is named after Nicky Henderson’s father and has given the trainer the chance to nail in the success at the historical race course that was saved by the help of his father nearly half a century ago.
Getting one race under the belt in a day in this truly challenging Festival is considered a landmark however Nicky Henderson took it up to a mesmerising four a day. Four Nicky Henderson trained made their way to victory which made him surpass the forty win
mark and took it onto forty-four.
The quadruple victory started off with Simonsig winning the Neptune Hurdle which came his way when the famous rival, Cotton Mill, seemed unwilling to race over the second last.
The next coincidence came Nicky Henderson’s way when Bobs Worth dominated the Gold Cup for novice horses, this truly got the suspense building as a second victory in a day itself had never made its way at the Cheltenham Racecourse before.
Striking a hat trick, Finian’s Rainbow refused to compromise on the victory in the feature race, the Queen Mother Champion Chase that only came in after a hard core contention with Sizing Europe who had won the title in 2011.
The baffling fourth record reviving victory was snatched away by Une Artiste in the Grade 3 Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle.
Wednesday, 14th March changed the stats for the Cheltenham Festival winners which for Nicky Henderson had gone to forty-four.
"I've never had a day like this before. This is very special," said the 61-year-old Henderson, "It doesn't happen without a lot of people doing an enormous amount of work. I only drive the ship, there's a huge team at home."
The unprecedented success continued well into the end of the week as the eight-year-old Bellvano won the Grade 3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup with Paul Carberry.
Reserving the energy, Bellvano came flying up the home straight, leading the stable mate, Tanks For That by 2 ¼ lengths and final seventy-five yards of the race. Henderson had the ground covered with six of his own entries on the card of twenty-one horses.
Winning the race named against his father’s name was the emotional winning moment for the already celebrated trainer, Nicky Henderson.
"I said to Paul ‘you can do whatever you like with this horse as long as you don't get there to the line'. This horse has run here plenty of times before and he is a very good horse but he has never got up the hill before. It has been an amazing week and
it has finished with an emotional win."
So much so for the trainer whose father had saved the very racecourse, not knowing that the record breaking achievements will find their way to his own son only.
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