Mixed fortunes for Henderson's young hurdlers as Jeriko Du Reponet boosts Supreme Novices' claims but Willmount falters
Two of Nicky Henderson's most exciting young hurdlers experienced mixed fortunes last time out at Newbury as Jeriko Du Reponet bolstered his tag as favourite for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle but Willmount suffered a first career defeat.
Jeriko Du Reponet, who cruised to an 11 length point-to-point victory in Ireland before arriving at Seven Barrows in the spring, won on his debut under rules at the beginning of December and, although the 2/5 favourite had to contend with a few more questions in the Coral Committed To Safer Gambling Introductory Hurdle, he finished a comfortable length-and-a-quarter clear of Hughie Morrison’s Secret Squirrel.
Winning jockey James Bowen, who was deputising for the injured Nico de Boinville, told The Racing Post he was impressed by the five-year-old, who is the 4/1 favourite for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival.
“He’s obviously very smart. We don’t know what he’s beaten, but he’s done it as well as he could,” he said.
“I wouldn’t like to say about his trip but today he felt speedy enough and he was fine on that ground.”
However there was disappointment for Henderson in the day’s feature race, the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle, as Willmount suffered a first career defeat after being pulled up three hurdles from home.
The six-year-old, who won two Doncaster bumpers for Neil Mulholland in 2022 before owner Olly Harris moved him to West Berkshire, dazzled on his debut for Henderson in November but struggled to keep pace with the field at the weekend before Bowen brought a premature end to his race.
He had appeared to be struggling with the soft ground, although Henderson hinted that it was not the conditions that caused him a problem.
He told The Racing Post: “Willmount’s fine. I don’t think it was the ground and there are a few issues we might check out before we decide what to do next.”