Old Park Star display leaves Henderson pleasantly surprised

Old Park Star shot towards the head of the betting for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with a destructive display at Cheltenham on Friday.

Nicky Henderson’s Kempton winner was sent off at 5-2 to enhance his reputation in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle and having left his rivals standing still when sprinting clear from the home turn, sauntered to a 12-length success.

Coral make him their 8-1 second-favourite for the Cheltenham Festival opener in March and Henderson was suitably impressed.

He told Racing TV: “It looked rather a deep race on paper and I was wondering if I was in the right place, but it turns out I was.

“I’ve got to say I was impressed, I just loved the way he did it, he jumped, he travelled and quickened. He’s very straightforward and just a nice person.

“It wasn’t as if he was rushing to get to the front and it wasn’t like they were going that quick so I think he just enjoyed himself. His jumping was really really strong and the future looks good. He’ll make a lovely chaser in time, but we’ll stick to this job for the time being.”

Henderson not only trains Old Park Star for Gordon and Su Hall but also recent Newbury scorer Act Of Innocence, and the Seven Barrows trainer will now attempt to keep the two exciting novices apart as he ponders future options.

He added: “We’re very lucky that Gordon and Su have Act Of Innocence as well who was very impressive at Newbury a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m certainly thinking he is a two-mile horse and this fella we were thinking would get another half mile, but it didn’t seem necessary today and he really quickened off not a particularly strong gallop, so must have quickened a fair bit.

“We’ll try to split them up and it’s a nice problem to have. Act Of Innocence could go to Aintree for the Formby (Novices’ Hurdle, Boxing Day), but three days later there is an introductory hurdle at Newbury (December 29) for horses that have only run once so we’ll see how it pans out over the Christmas period.

“There’s a two-and-a-half-mile race on Trials day that could be for Old Star Park, but let’s just see, he’s taken me by surprise by the authority of it all. I hadn’t been making any grand plans at this stage, but we might have to, which is a very nice problem.”