Tag Archive for: Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle

Honeysuckle brings the house down with emotional victory

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There were joyous scenes on day one of the Cheltenham Festival when Honeysuckle brought the curtain down on her phenomenal career with an emotional victory in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.

The sparkle of Henry de Bromhead’s superstar had seemingly been on the wane this term and the decision was made to return the dual Champion Hurdle heroine to the race she first announced herself in at the Festival for her swansong.

And the nine-year-old did not let her adoring public down by showing all the qualities that have made her one of the most loved and admired mares of the modern era.

Sent off the 9-4 joint-favourite, ever-loyal jockey Rachael Blackmore had Honeysuckle positioned in second throughout tracking the front-running Love Envoi and although the pack swarmed as the field made their way down the hill, the order remained the same until after the last.

With Love Envoi refusing to lie down, the brave mare Honeysuckle responded to every urging of her rider to gallop up the Cheltenham hill one more time, going to the bottom of the well and digging deep to edge her way to a titanic one-and-a-half-length triumph.

The win gave her a fourth at the Festival and she signs off as one of the all-time greats having won 17 of her 19 career starts.

The reception afterwards reflected not only the performance of Honeysuckle but the genuine affection for De Bromhead and his family, who lost son Jack in a tragic pony racing accident in September.

De Bromhead said: “It’s the fairytale ending that never normally happens. It’s incredible.

Henry de Bromhead celebrates Honeysuckle's latest Cheltenham success
Henry de Bromhead celebrates Honeysuckle’s latest Cheltenham success (Tim Goode/PA)

“I’m so happy for the mare and Rachael and Kenny (Alexander, owner) and all of us. This (reception) is what she deserves. She’s such an unbelievable mare. I’m blown away.

“We’ve had a terrible year with Jack and everything. It’s been an incredibly tough time and we’re really grateful for the support everyone has given us.

“You dream that these kind of things will happen, but more often than not they don’t. It’s the result everybody wanted, but you’d daren’t believe that it will happen.”

The County Waterford trainer felt justified in allowing Honeysuckle to bow out against her own sex following Constitution Hill’s breathtaking display in the Champion Hurdle earlier in the afternoon.

He added: “She’s been in great form all year and thankfully we picked the right race when you see the other lad in the Champion Hurdle!

“I was a bit worried jumping the last – I thought Love Envoi was gone on us. But Honeysuckle rarely knows when she’s beaten and she read the script.”

When asked if Honeysuckle’s racing career was definitely over, De Bromhead quipped: “I presume it is, but there is the Mares Champion Hurdle in Punchestown!

“I’ll get a few drinks into Kenny later, Peter Molony (racing manager) will be in one ear saying ‘Walk In The Park’ and I’ll be in the other saying ‘walk to Punchestown!’.”

Alexander, though, definitively confirmed his remarkable mare will be retired as he reflected on his “best ever day in racing”.

Kenny Alexander flanked by Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead on the winner's rostrum
Kenny Alexander flanked by Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead on the winner’s rostrum (Tim Goode/PA)

“It’s staggering really. It’s great for Henry and his family to get that victory under their belt,” said the Scotsman.

“I came here more in hope than anything, but I did back her. She went to 4-1 last night, which was outrageous.

“I’ve never said she’s the greatest ever hurdler, she undoubtedly isn’t. In fact, the one before (Constitution Hill) might turn out to be, but she’s got to be one of the bravest and one of the most loved. The people here love her and the people in Ireland adore her.

“I said after Leopardstown she’s not going to win a Champion Hurdle, but if she’s still running to a level of form where she can win a Mares’, let’s go for it – and if she loses, so what?

“This is a proper send-off. I don’t want to go to Punchestown. It would be nice to do it in front of the Irish people and if they want to take her there to show her off, I’m more than happy to do that, but I don’t want to run her and go to the well once too often.

“She’s going out on a high now – nothing can match it really. Let her enjoy her retirement.

“One million per cent this is my best ever day in racing.”

Theatre team happy to go for glory in red-hot Festival feature

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The list of owners who will employ the services of Nicky Henderson during the Cheltenham Festival is a roll call of the rich and powerful racing elite.

But the owners of Theatre Glory hail from much closer to home as the upwardly-mobile Warwick winner prepares to tackle one of the week’s hottest contests.

That is because the six-year-old is owned by Canter Banter Racing – the brainchild of Katie Croft and David Fehily, who are both head staff at Henderson’s Lambourn base.

To continue the Henderson connection, Theatre Glory – who is set to take her chance in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – came into their possession via another graduate of the Seven Barrows academy – former jockey Jerry McGrath, who has become a key player in the Canter Banter set-up.

“Myself and David are both head staff for Nicky and we’ve been here for 12 or 13 years. We just wanted to do something different and for ourselves,” explained Croft.

“Jerry gave us this filly which was actually unsold at the sales for under £5,000 as a three-year-old. They broke her in, liked her and then said to us ‘why don’t you have a crack with her, we think she’s quite nice’.”

Although unwanted in the ring, Theatre Glory has attracted plenty of admirers following her performances on the track – including the bookmakers, who made her around a 10-1 chance for the Coral Cup.

However, that race barely crossed Croft’s radar and the 145-rated mare will attempt to give syndicate-owned horses back-to-back victories in the day one contest having scooped her second Listed prize in style last month.

She continued: “I believe you need an awful lot of luck in a handicap and she’s not the biggest girl. For us as a syndicate to have a runner in a Grade One is great and if she was to finish in the top four, you would be delighted.

“It’s very exciting, just to have a live chance is very exciting.”

Nico de Boinville and Theatre Glory return after securing Listed honours at Warwick
Nico de Boinville and Theatre Glory return after securing Listed honours at Warwick (PA)

The Warwick Mares’ Hurdle was supposed to be a simple tune-up mission for last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle winner Love Envoi.

She was trading at odds-on before her late withdrawal from the Listed event, but the Canter Banter team always fancied their chances against Harry Fry’s charge – especially having seen the form of Theatre Glory’s Boxing Day third at Kempton franked by Grey Dawning.

“We were quite confident beforehand, even with Love Envoi in the race,” said Croft.

“It might sound bullish now after the race because of the performance, but we were. At Kempton when she ran in the handicap, she was giving away a stone to a Grade Two winner and to be honest, we came back with excuses.

“She took a good blow and you could obviously see she was running on again at the finish. She also came back with a slight dirty nose and she could have just been better on the day, so we were confident there were bigger performances than that in her.”

It is costing connections £4,599 to supplement Theatre Glory for the Mares’ Hurdle – which may be small change for the might of JP McManus who owns stablemate Epatante – but a hefty outlay for a fledgling syndicate still in its infancy.

However, it appears the Canter Banter posse were in no doubt about ensuring their flagship mare lines up in Grade One company.

“They were all sort of revved straight away,” added Croft. “The hype she built up that day (at Warwick), it gave them a sort of a ‘oh my god, we have a chance’ feel and they are all very excited.”

With both Epatante and defending champion Marie’s Rock also possible runners in the Mares’ Hurdle, it would be easy to envisage loyalties towards each of the Henderson-trained mares causing a Seven Barrows cold war in the build up to the Festival.

However, for the Canter Banter team at least, there is no cloak and dagger from the spies in the camp, and no iron curtain splitting Upper Lambourn.

“We’re quite laid back about it as we’ve got it to prove,” continued Croft.

Theatre Glory ridden by Nico de Boinville goes on to win The Follow At The Races On Twitter Maiden Open NH Flat Race at Worcester
Theatre Glory ridden by Nico de Boinville goes on to win The Follow At The Races On Twitter Maiden Open NH Flat Race at Worcester (David Davies/PA)

“We’re the underdog and if we’re good enough, then great we’re good enough, but we’re under no illusion we will beat two champion hurdlers.

“Between the other two (Epatante and Marie’s Rock) there isn’t much in it and obviously it all depends if Marie’s Rock switches.

“Although without being biased towards our syndicate, I always thought Marie’s Rock would win a Stayers’ (Hurdle) anyway. I thought she should have been going to the Stayers’ before – she wasn’t stopping at Cheltenham in the Relkeel.”

Win or lose on Tuesday, Theatre Glory is set to stay in training for another season and the Canter Banter team are relishing the chance to put their racing club in the shop window on the big stage.

“It’s sort of the dream day to promote yourself. It’s very nice when you think she was unsold for £5,000,” said Croft.

“We’ve managed to persuade the breeders to keep her for another year. So we’ve got the whole of next season to look forward to, depending on what happens at Cheltenham.

“We’re in the process of finding some new horses and hopefully we will make a nice strong team.”

For now though, all eyes will be on Theatre Glory in her bid for Cheltenham success and after 25 years combined service to the Seven Barrows cause, the carriage clocks and gold watches are being put to one side – it is a Mares’ Hurdle gold medal that would be the perfect reward from the guv’nor.

Theatre Glory poised to take on Epatante and Honeysuckle

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Nicky Henderson’s Theatre Glory is likely to take her chance in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Just like Seven Barrows’ stablemate Epatante, Theatre Glory was not among the initial entries for the Grade One event and would need to be supplemented at a cost of £4,599 for a race which is shaping up to be one of the hottest of the week – and also the likely destination for the swansong of two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle.

However, she put herself in the picture for the two-and-a-half-mile contest with a commanding 11-length success in the Listed Warwick Mares’ Hurdle last month, a race won previously by Henderson’s defending champion Marie’s Rock on her way to Prestbury Park glory last year.

The Canter Banter Racing-owned six-year-old does hold an entry for the Coral Cup on day two and is as short as 10-1 with the bookmakers for handicap success. But rated 5lb higher than Marie’s Rock was when triumphing 12 months ago, connections feel Theatre Glory has earned her shot at the big time.

“I think she deserves her chance in the Mares’ Hurdle,” said Katie Croft, co-founder of Canter Banter Racing alongside David Fehily.

“It might cut up a little bit at the top – Telmesomethinggirl might go for the Mares’ Chase and Marie’s Rock is a possible for the Stayers’ and if you ran into the top four you would be delighted. We’re under no illusion we’ll beat two Champion Hurdlers, but we’ll probably go for the Mares’.

A winner of six of her nine starts under rules, five of those victories have come on good ground and the prospect of slick spring ground at the Festival only adds to the dream of Theatre Glory springing an upset in her trip to the top table.

Croft continued: “She just loves to be able to flick along, she’s got a bit more toe on that good ground, she just finds it so easy. It’s very exciting, just to have a live chance is very exciting.”