WATCH: Nicky Henderson stable tour including quotes on Altior, Epatante, Shishkin and Santini

Rising hurdling stars

Shishkin

"I would like to think that Shishkin is one of our best chances of the week. He is a genuine two miler. The Sky Bet Supreme is a nice race to win if you can because it gets the ball rolling and the pressure off a bit.

"I think Shishkin is very good and in his bumper and novice hurdle, he has looked very efficient. He has got to prove himself yet and this will be a much bigger test, but visually he has been very impressive. He does not seem to lack experience, as he races very professionally, and then you can press a button [at the finish], which makes life easier for him.

"Joe Donnelly [owner] has Shiskin and Asterion Forlonge. I was speaking to Joe before Asterion Forlonge won at Leopardstown and Joe said that Willie [Mullins, trainer] thought Asterion was a three miler but he was running him over two. Willie said the same himself on the TV afterwards. Joe is perfectly happy to run both in the Supreme. I asked Joe if he wanted to split them up, as I wanted to push Willie to two and a half, but Joe said he would be delighted to finish first and second. I said as long as it's in the right order!"

Chantry House

"It will be the same story with some of the JP McManus horses. Obviously, Philip [Hobbs] has Sporting John and we have Chantry House, and I am sure JP has others. Chantry House is a very solid horse - he is lovely. He was very green at Cheltenham in December and then at Newbury last week he was foot perfect the whole way. He travelled like a good horse, jumped like a good horse, and went away from them like a good horse. The opposition were not that bad either. "

The other novice hurdlers

"I am pretty sure Shishkin will not be our only runner in the Supreme. Son Of Camas and Buzz are in the Dovecote on Saturday. Glynn certainly would want two and a half miles. I want to run Allart this week - I think he is quite good."

Rising chasing stars

Mister Fisher

"I would have thought Mister Fisher will go for the Marsh Novices' Chase. I would be surprised if we didn't, but he is quick and we will definitely have a look at the Arkle, as there does not seem to be anything in England blatantly obvious for that race. You may find that the two and a half mile is the stronger race, in which case we could drop back because I would not be frightened to. It could be late decision. He does want the best ground you can get though."

Champ

"Champ will have a racecourse gallop. He has been doing lots of schooling and seems in cracking form. I would have liked another run, and we were going to go to Kelso but that was off. There was one race left for him at Chepstow, but I did not want to send him there over three miles on testing ground. He will have a school somewhere over fences before Cheltenham."

Pym

"He could also go for the RSA. He did not like the ground at Ascot. It was horrible and he could not get out of it. He is not the most robust horse compared to the likes of Champ or Santini who are big, strong horses. Up until Ascot, Pym had done nothing wrong and you have to put a line through it. "

Major hurdling hopes

Epatante

"Last year there were four or five that didn't turn up (to Cheltenham) like they should have done and I would have said with all of them it was probably flu vaccinations. I would think she fell into the same square. Your are right in saying that this time last year she was one of our best chances and it was very disappointing.

"I've read in some places she can only go on a flat track, just because she didn't run very well at Cheltenham on the only time that she has been there - I don't think that was the track. Sure, if it doesn't work again I will have to agree with those that have concluded she is only any good around Kempton, but at the moment I've no worries."

Henderson has not given up hope of seeing fellow Grade One winner Fusil Raffles bounce back from his disappointing effort behind Epatante at Kempton over Christmas.

He said: "He was very disappointing at Kempton and that is why I would have liked to run again. I don't mind going down the racecourse gallop route.

"When he ran in the Adonis this time last year I didn't fancy him a lot, then we got him back for Punchestown and I didn't even think he was working well then. He could still come back into it."

Pentland Hills

"We've cauterised his palate since Haydock. It will almost certainly make no difference whatsoever, but it is an effort to make sure everything is in place.

"He wants to switch off a little bit more and I think we will drop him in a bit more than we have done. The trouble is he is such a good jumper he is taking you there all the time.

"Both times he has come there and looked like he has come to win his race. I don't think he has done anything wrong. They have just been races in bad ground both times."

Call Me Lord

"I thought he was a little bit flat there at Sandown the other day, I must admit. He won the International and he goes round Cheltenham. He has proven one thing, that he can go left, so he will join in."

Fusil Raffles

"He was never going to run at Wincanton [last weekend] on that ground and we have been trying to get the BHA to move the Kingwell to Kempton this weekend. I hope they might play ball, but he will only run if it is very good ground. Otherwise, I am perfectly happy to go down the racecourse gallop route.

"He was very disappointing in the Christmas Hurdle [pulled up], which is why I would have liked to run him again. He is not the flashiest of work horses anyway and this time last year when he won the Adonis, I did not fancy him a lot. Then he had that problem and we got him back for Punchestown. I did not think he was working very well then, but he still came out and done it. He can certainly come back into the reckoning."

Verdana Blue

"Verdana Blue, as you know ground is crucial to her. If it was soft heavy there you would have to seriously think again. She is in very good form. She has had a quiet season because it hasn't been her ground."

Going for Gold

Santini

"We know he likes Cheltenham, and he has run two cracking races there. His race in the RSA last year was fantastic, because we had a dreadful time with him. We were trotting him up outside, and he had problems with his feet. Then we had flu vaccinations, and he was meant to have a run in the Reynoldstown, and he had no preparation or racecourse experience anything.

"I admit he wasn't very impressive first time out at Sandown. We cauterised him after that, and there was no point going to the King George because Kempton is not his track. We had to wait for the Cotswold Chase, and that is where we were always going to go.

"He is just starting work again now and did a bit on Saturday. He is not an Altior at home, but he is a very enthusiastic horse and he loves his work. He needs a lot of work, but the more you get into him the better he is.

"He had a tough enough race at Cheltenham, but he has come back bouncing. He was exactly the opposite to Altior - because whereas from day one you knew he was a rocket, Santini, the first year he was here I said to Richard (Kelvin-Hughes, owner) 'he is not a bumper horse'.

"He should be a better horse than last season because he is a big, old-fashioned type of chaser. He is hardy, too. Like them all, he needs a good run for the next three weeks."

Altior

"All is going well at the moment, and Altior is in good form. He has just had a couple of quiet days since Newbury.

"We will start to tick along and give him a couple of schools soon. We seldom school him, but I think he enjoys it. If you take Newbury as his first run of the season, which you virtually have to, it was perfect. If we were coming into the Tingle Creek or something (next), you would have to say he is spot on.

"The disaster was the first run of the year - it was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the wrong ground over the wrong trip. I couldn't have made a worse job if I had tried.

"I've always said if it wasn't for there being so much hype, and there hadn't been the big build-up (he would not have run) - I should have really been the spoilsport and taken him out on the morning of the race, but you couldn't really.

"We think we stay (further), if they go quick in a bog it might not help us, but he will lie up with them. He has got it (that turn of foot) - and it works. He jumped the final fence last year, then off - he was gone and cleared away. I'd love to go to Aintree (for the Melling Chase over two-miles-four-furlongs), but he is not a horse that can do that.

"We wanted to go there a couple of years ago, but he hadn't recovered from Cheltenham. He is good at telling (jockey) Nico (de Boinville) when he is absolutely on song, or 10 degrees under. If he said he is ready I would love to go to Aintree and try him over two and a half there.

"We have been through all these years with Sprinter (Sacre), and the pressure was much the same -because everyone expected him to win. This year's race is very competitive - and so it should be. It is going to be a big battle."

Might Bite

"He will hopefully go for the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. He had not trained with the other horses before Newbury. He had been doing his own thing, jumping all sorts of spooky things around here, and he absolutely loved it. I would like to get two practice sessions into him over the cross country course beforehand."

Others to note

"Floressa is a definite for the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle. She should have been second at Doncaster. I thought she ran a very good race and the winner, Lady Buttons, is a good mare. I think she has a great chance. Daphne Du Clos could run too, but she was not that impressive the other day and has a bit to do.

"The Cashel Man will go for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. I think he will enjoy it and nice ground will be better to him. He did not like it much at Bangor the other day and now we have to go for an appeal to see if he can keep the race. It was a very good run before that behind Thyme Hill at Newbury.

"Champagne Platinum has to creep in to the Northern Trust Company Novices' Handicap Chase. He may not get in and in that case, he will go for the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate. It obviously helped him going up in trip by half a mile the other day.

"Welsh Saint and Diablo De Rouhet will go for the Pertemps Nerwork Final. Diablo De Rouhet had a run over fences after he won over hurdles at Newbury, but he was so good in that hurdle race, I did not want to run him over hurdles as he did not need to go up in the weights. Welsh Saint needs to go up four or five pounds and his win at Haydock on Saturday was just the job. I think he would have a good chance.

"Palladium and Fraser Island are my two for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. I don't have anything for the JCB Triumph Hurdle. I knew early on that I did not have a star among the juveniles but, then again, neither did I this time last year - then Pentland Hills and Fusil Raffles came along. That won't happen again this year I can assure you.

"I suppose Theinval and Whatswrongwithyou will go for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase. They are solid handicap chasers but somewhat exposed."

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