‘Simply fantastic’ Simonsig delights Henderson in gallop
An odds-on favourite to follow up his victory in the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle 12 months ago with a win in next week’s Racing Post Arkle, Simonsig had been due to gallop at Newbury on Sunday morning with some stable companions.
However, an unexpected frost threw those plans into disarray and Henderson rearranged the work for Monday morning only to find the track had suffered the same fate again overnight.
Henderson was forced to head back to his Lambourn base with Simonsig and Grandouet, one of his Champion Hurdle hopes.
“We left the yard at 6am and it was fine then but the same thing happened as yesterday, by 7am it got a bit colder,” said Henderson.
“It’s just bad luck really. As the ground had been raced on on Friday and Saturday, there were a few bare patches and they had frozen.
“You couldn’t work horses on it, that was for sure.
“We just brought them home but it will have done them some good. They probably thought it was all good fun and it will have got their blood flowing.
“The ground at home was absolutely beautiful, as it was on Saturday when we worked a lot of the others and as it’s turned out, we could have worked these ones then as well, but there we go.
“There was Simonsig, Grandouet, Megalypos and a whole load of others.
“They worked over a mile and a quarter and went a really good gallop.
“It’s been a bit frustrating but just about everything has been done now. Simonsig was simply fantastic, he was some sight in full flow.”
