Nicky Henderson expected to send Sir Gino over fences at Kempton leaving path clear for Constitution Hill return
NICKY HENDERSON is set to send Sir Gino over fences at Kempton - leaving the Champion Hurdle path clear for Constitution Hill.
Hendo has been agonising over running plans for the four-year-old after his impressive win in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month.
The bookies slashed him into 9-2 for the Champion Hurdle after that success, but at the start of this season his trainer had been planning to send him novice chasing.
With Constitution Hill apparently back to full fitness and on course for the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, Hendo is expected to revert to Plan A next week.
He has been reluctant to share his position on Sir Gino in recent days, repeating on Thursday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast that 'everything is up in the air'.
But the horse is reported to have schooled impressively over fences at Seven Barrows on Thursday morning, and he is now being lined up for a crack at the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase on December 27.
Sir Gino, who has been left in the Christmas Hurdle as an insurance chip should anything go wrong with Constitution Hill, is currently a top-price 6-1 for the Arkle Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
The six-time champion trainer has been making some positive noises about Constitution Hill as he prepares to return from a year on the sidelines.
He was found to be lame when preparing for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle last month, the latest in a string of health issues for the former champ.
But Hendo is confident he will head to Kempton - for a possible showdown with Lossiemouth - in good nick ahead of a mouthwatering Christmas Hurdle.
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He told the NLD on Thursday: “We’ve got a week to go and some more work to do, but everything is going well. I’m very happy.
“The issue he had the other week he recovered pretty quickly from, so we didn’t lose much time.
"His work has been very good and he schooled the other day which really woke up him. The fire is still burning.”
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