{"id":295332,"date":"2023-10-28T04:10:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T04:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=295332"},"modified":"2023-10-28T04:10:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-28T04:10:10","slug":"exclusive-interview-nicky-henderson-still-has-the-racing-bug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/horse-racing\/exclusive-interview-nicky-henderson-still-has-the-racing-bug\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Nicky Henderson still has the racing bug"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: As he prepares for Constitution Hill to outdo even the exploits of his legendary Sprinter Sacre, master trainer Nicky Henderson still has the racing bug after a glittering five decades in jump racing<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Henderson has published a book, describing his life in 12 legendary horses\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>But one surprise name failed to make it into the book due to superstition\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The trainer still has plans for Constitution Hill to improve on last season\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A beautiful morning in the rolling Berkshire countryside and Nicky Henderson carries the air of an enthusiastic headmaster on the first day of school.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s getting exciting, isn\u2019t it?\u2019 Henderson says, and he\u2019s right \u2014 that Cheltenham stages day two of its first fixture on Saturday afternoon tells you the seasons are changing; summer to winter, Flat to jumps. \u2018It\u2019s like you\u2019ve got 150 kids out there, you have to try to understand them all.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018One disadvantage for this headmaster is that boys can talk and these (pupils) can\u2019t. You\u2019ve got to work out for yourself what they like and what they don\u2019t like. You\u2019ve got to be careful, you can get very stroppy horses. I could show you some! You\u2019ve got to read what they want.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The analogy makes him smile, and in some respects, is fitting, given we meet to discuss a book. Nicky Henderson: My Life in 12 Horses was published last month, depicting a career \u2014 with six Champion Trainer crowns and 73 Cheltenham Festival wins \u2014 that must be described as a timeless masterpiece.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no exaggeration to say a zero could have been added to the number in the title, so deep has been the pool of talent he has nurtured since he started training in 1978. The inclusion of one name, however, left him uncomfortable. The identity will take you by surprise.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089447-12680891-image-a-24_1698424844149.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Master trainer Nicky Henderson published his book &#8211; Nicky Henderson: My Life in 12 Horses<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089021-12680891-image-a-25_1698424854489.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Henderson&#8217;s Constitution Hill however is not amongst the horses detailed in the memoir<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089031-12680891-image-a-26_1698424863299.jpg\" height=\"421\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The 72-year-old has enjoyed a glittering career in jump racing over the last five decades<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I didn\u2019t want to include Constitution Hill,\u2019 Henderson explains. \u2018The author (Kate Johnson) said we had to. I just wouldn\u2019t have had him as he\u2019s still racing. It\u2019s our own unwritten law here that I won\u2019t have a horse (formally) painted until he\u2019s retired because I\u2019m desperately superstitious.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So I didn\u2019t want Constitution Hill in for the same reason. As soon as you do that, something will go wrong. Where he\u2019s been lucky, he\u2019s had two seasons without one day off. Well, let me tell you, that\u2019s unheard of in a horse\u2019s life. One day something\u2019s going to go wrong. It has to!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Henderson is being theatrical here, a chuckle accompanies the last sentence. He won\u2019t list his superstitions, as the 72-year-old says we\u2019d be here for ever, but it is clear how this magnificent horse invites him to dream yet leaves him terrified on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<p>Constitution Hill, owned by Henderson\u2019s great friend and long-time associate Michael Buckley, is one of those rare animals with the capacity to jump from sport sections into the hearts and minds of the general public: he rises at obstacles as nimbly as a jet and soars as majestically as Concorde.<\/p>\n<p>The gelding has a perfect record of seven wins from seven runs, his victories include last season\u2019s Champion Hurdle and the 2022 Supreme Novice Hurdle. He\u2019s won those races by a combined distance of 89 lengths and never looked like breaking sweat.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t new territory for Henderson. Sprinter Sacre, described in the book as \u2018a glittering athlete beyond all athletes\u2019, was held in similarly lofty esteem by the wider public. His exploits were staggering yet it is entirely possible Constitution Hill will surpass him.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089449-12680891-image-a-27_1698424905290.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The trainer has been awarded the honour of Champion Trainer an impressive six times<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089467-12680891-image-a-28_1698424922682.jpg\" height=\"432\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Last season, Henderson won the Champion Hurdle with Constitution Hill, and feels the horse could continue to succeed this season<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089055-12680891-image-a-29_1698424926422.jpg\" height=\"419\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Henderson previously trained Sprinter Sacre &#8211; who is included in the book &#8211; to similar heady heights<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s killing me or keeping me alive \u2014 one of the two, you can take it either way,\u2019 he says. \u2018This is it. It\u2019s the thing that Michael has discovered. He says, \u201cNow listen, this isn\u2019t my horse any more. He belongs to the public. So did Sprinter\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Constitution Hill, potentially, could become the first horse to win four Champion Hurdles. Henderson trained See You Then \u2014 one of the five horses to have landed three. He also has a chapter.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But,\u2019 Henderson interjects. \u2018Some say, \u201cNah! You\u2019re boring (for not going over fences with Constitution Hill)!\u201d Well, fine! Everybody has a view and that\u2019s great. We are the curator of an extraordinary animal doing stupid things, but, because of what he is, we\u2019ll pray to God nothing goes wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Asking for help from a higher power is a nice line but it is at this juncture Henderson gives a glimpse into why he has enjoyed such success for so long. We pause the interview, so he can go and oversee the last group of horses that are to work on this particular day.<\/p>\n<p>He leans over the fence of a covered, circular gallop. Each rider who trots past shouts out the name of their partner and, rapid fire, Henderson tells them precisely what they must do then awaits feedback. Modesty would ever prevent him agreeing but what he has is a gift.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You\u2019ve got to read what they want rather than be told what they want,\u2019 says Henderson. \u2018You\u2019ve got to have good owners and you\u2019ve got to be surrounded by top class people. They\u2019re absolutely vital \u2014 here and out there. That\u2019s where we\u2019re very lucky.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019ve one advantage: I\u2019ve got no problem \u2014 and never have had \u2014 getting up in the morning and going like a lunatic \u2018til lunchtime. I\u2019m up at 6am every day and straight into battle. I can do it on the worst hangover in the world. If you\u2019ve got horses like this, of course you\u2019re going to get up in the morning.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089095-12680891-image-a-23_1698424134833.jpg\" height=\"448\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>As well as training horses for the Queen Mother, Henderson trained for the late Queen Elizabeth II<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/27\/17\/77089451-12680891-image-a-30_1698424941978.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Still at the height of his powers, Henderson isn&#8217;t likely to be ending his enjoyment any time soon<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s in full stride now. Henderson, who had life changing treatment to preserve his sight last year, tells stories of training for the Queen Mother and how \u2018she loved life and all that went with it\u2019, but, more than anything, he talks about his determination to keep being a high achiever.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are lucky that proper good horses still appear here all the time,\u2019 says Henderson. \u2018I\u2019m as hungry as ever. I\u2019m competitive too \u2014 you\u2019ve got to be. But the one thing it\u2019s got to be \u2014 the most important thing \u2014 is fun. I\u2019m adamant about that.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We work hard, we play hard and I don\u2019t mind admitting it. It\u2019s not all chocolate and roses. You can\u2019t have good days without bad days and that goes for anybody who does anything that\u2019s remotely got anything exciting about life. You\u2019ve got to enjoy it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>With Constitution Hill around, the enjoyment won\u2019t be ending any time soon.<\/p>\n<p><span>Nicky Henderson: My Life in 12 Horses is published by Pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/racing\/article-12680891\/EXCLUSIVE-INTERVIEW-prepares-Constitution-Hill-outdo-exploits-legendary-Sprinter-Sacre-master-trainer-Nicky-Henderson-racing-bug-glittering-five-decades-jump-racing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: As he prepares for Constitution Hill to outdo even the exploits of his legendary Sprinter Sacre, master trainer Nicky Henderson still has the racing bug after a glittering five decades in jump racing Henderson has published a book, describing his&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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