'He was just so good' - Sir Gino hunts as a novice with Nicky Henderson and looks at Altior and Shishkin on the route to the Arkle

The way Mr Gino has encouraged Nicky Henderson to progress his undefeated star’s chasing career, with the Arkle identified as his new target at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

The winning four-year-old was expected to continue over hurdles this season, but Henderson described his jumping at his Seven Barrows base as “extremely good” and is planning a route similar to March’s as the one he used for stable greats. Altior and Shishkin.

These two, who won Cheltenham’s two-mile novices’ pursuit in 2017 and 2021 respectively, started their careers over fences in Kempton’s 2m2f novices’ pursuit, Sir Gino’s intended seasonal comeback on November 25.

“He is a big, strong, chasing horse and there is a lot to be said for starting over hurdles as a four-year-old because of the allowances,” the six-time champion trainer said on Tuesday.

“We tried him over a fence a few weeks ago and he was just so good. He is a very talented horse as a hurdler, but what we saw from him recently was extremely good. He looks like a hunter, he is a big boy.”

Sir Gino was cut to 6-1 (from 10s) with Ladbrokes for the Arkle after the news broke on Tuesday. Henderson is the race’s most successful trainer, although none of his seven winners have been five-year-olds and no horse of that age has won since Voy Por Ustedes in 2006.

The trainer added: “He is a two-mile horse. I suspect I’ll eat my words by the end of the year, but I’ll be surprised if I do. It’s all about pace and he has a lot of it.

“I think we will look at that race at Kempton, which is over two (miles) two (furlongs) and which we used for Altior and Shishkin, so we will try to go to friendly quarters. We will take it step by step But if everything goes well, the plan is to go to the Arkle.

“I think it will be a good division because I think JP (McManus) (Majborough)’s horse, who won the Triumph, will also go as a novice chaser as a four-year-old.”

Sir Gino was given an entry in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Tuesday morning, but Henderson confirmed this was purely a “back-up” in case last year’s Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill failed to appear.

“On that front, everything is going well with Constitution Hill, it’s just a back-up,” the coach said. “It’s time for Sir Gino to go his own way. It was worth looking over the hurdles. The Donnellys (owners) also have State Man, so that’s useful.”

Sir Gino could appear alongside Constitution Hill during the Coral Gold Cup gallop morning at Newbury on November 19, ahead of his hunting debut.

Read more like this:

Constitution Hill named among Fighting Fifth entries – find out which Willie Mullins-trained runner could beat him

‘If all goes well he’ll run – I couldn’t be happier’ – Nicky Henderson wants to unleash Jonbon in Shloer Chase on Friday

‘It was crazy and completely out of character’ – Nicky Henderson was left stunned when Jeriko Du Reponet was caught on his chase debut

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