Three Nicky Henderson horses went to Kempton for exercise on Tuesday but one horse still looks the best bet for Cheltenham
Three of Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdle contenders were among 14 horses sent to Kempton Park on Tuesday for exercise in what has become a traditional part of the buildup to the Festival meeting at Cheltenham, but the absence of Epatante, the big-race favourite, from the away trip seemed only to confirm that she is the clear leader of his deep squad for the feature event on 10 March.
While Epatante stayed at home at Seven Barrows, Pentand Hills, Fusil Raffles and Verdana Blue were attempting to confirm a place in the field to take her on, and it seemed afterwards that all three did so without any managing to finish in front of their galloping companions after a circuit and a half of the track.