Henderson duo set for Kempton
With his rising star Isio behind schedule so far this season, the Seven Barrows trainer looks set to call on two others from his talent-packed yard for the Christmas feature.
Calling Brave won all three of his completed starts over fences last season before unseating Mick Fitzgerald in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham and he could well return to action at Windsor this weekend.
Henderson has ruled out a crack at Huntingdon’s Peterborough Chase with the eight-year-old. who could go for the Life From Coloroll Chase.
Henderson said: “While I would be perfectly happy to wait, Calling Brave could go to Windsor, but he definitely won’t be going to Huntingdon, where I feel the ground could be plenty quick enough for him.
“There is the intermediate chase at Sandown if we decide to give it a miss this weekend, but the race I really want him to go for is the King George.”
Henderson admitted to being disappointed with Fondmort’s run in last Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
The eight-year-old was last of the 11 finishers in the race, but Henderson is hoping he can bounce back in the King George - in which he finished fourth last year.
He added: “Most of my runners please me, but he was disappointing and I don’t know why.
“I see no reason why we shouldn’t run him at Kempton. He didn’t get the trip in the Racing Post Chase, but I feel that was an afterthought and I’ve always taken the view that he should stay round an easy track like that.”
Meanwhile, Colonel Frank dropped a long-range hint for the 2005 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup when putting up an immaculate jumping display in the Hamilton Litestat Handicap Chase at Wincanton yesterday.
The clinching leg of a double for his rider JP McNamara, Colonel Frank was always in command and for the final mile of the near-three-and-a-quarter-mile journey his supporters were counting their money as it was almost a case of ‘how far’ for the 5-4 favourite.
Runner Bean (7-1) sparked the McNamara double in the Ely Fund Managers Handicap Chase.
