Grandouet to take on Hurricane Fly once again (From Swindon Advertiser)

Grandouet to take on Hurricane Fly once again

6:00am Monday 18th March 2013 in Sport

Grandouet will have another crack at Hurricane Fly in Punchestown’s Rabobank Champion Hurdle to determine whether he will commence novice chasing next year.

Trainer Nicky Henderson was left wondering what might have been after his horse fell when still appearing to be going nicely in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, eventually won by Willie Mullins’ star.

It was only Grandouet’s second start of the campaign and the trainer said: “The Champion Hurdle was the missing race, so we’ll definitely go to Ireland.

“We’ll know whether to stay hurdling if we’re good enough to give Hurricane Fly any sort of a fright there.

“If he’s blatantly 10lb behind or anything like that, we’ll know to go novice chasing next year, but we need to do that to find out this year.

“I don’t think he’s a two-and-a-half-mile horse.”

Sprinter Sacre, who ran away with the Queen Mother Champion Chase, is to join his stablemate at Punchestown, but there are question marks over Simonsig, who was not as impressive as many had hoped despite landing Tuesday’s Arkle.

“I don’t think you saw the proper Simonsig there, we’ll have a look at him,” Henderson said. “He seemed to be running away from something and his scope was not quite right after the race. It’s as well we didn’t scope him before as I wouldn’t have run him.”

There could also be an issue with Oscar Whisky, who was pulled-up in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

“He was a bit lame, but I’ve not found anything dramatic,” said Henderson.

There will be further outings in the spring for Supreme runner-up My Tent Or Yours and Riverside Theatre, fourth in the Ryanair.

“I’d say Riverside Theatre ought to run again and whatever he does ought to begin with a three,” Henderson said.

Swindon jockey Wayne Hutchinson bounced back from his final race fall at the Cheltenham Festival by guiding Alan King’s Salmanazar to victory at Kempton on Saturday.

Hutchinson stormed to victory by four and a half lengths with Salmanazar in the Novices’ Hurdle.

Second to Salmanazar was Henderson’s Shernando while Mick Shannon’s Bally Lifen was third.

Henderson tasted more success at Kempton with Open Hearted winning the Handicap Hurdle and West Wizard the Open National Hunt Race.