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2026 Stayers Hurdle

Lobos said:
Know who's fault it is now. Here's Nicky after Impose Toi last win....

.....Because of that I think we’d want one more run before March and give him January off. The Cleeve would be coming back to two and a half miles so I don’t know about that.”
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Good grief, he said that!!
My dad used to say to me…… never get old son!!
 
None of the big guns entered in the galmoy hurdle. Hopefully see a couple entered up for the cleeve next weekend
 
This is what Henderson said after Impose Toi win at Xmas.....

“If a horse finishes behind him at home you’ve got to start worrying because he does absolutely nothing! He’s extraordinary in that sense, but now we know, and that’s fine.

“Because of that I think we’d want one more run before March and give him January off."

So, based on that, he'll surely not be running in the Cleeve??
 
Lobos said:
This is what Henderson said after Impose Toi win at Xmas.....

“If a horse finishes behind him at home you’ve got to start worrying because he does absolutely nothing! He’s extraordinary in that sense, but now we know, and that’s fine.

“Because of that I think we’d want one more run before March and give him January off."

So, based on that, he'll surely not be running in the Cleeve??
Click to expand...
That’s just hendo getting a little muddled
 
Yep.....

This is his latest..
...



Festival Trials Day exclusive: Nicky Henderson on his top team
Last Updated: Mon 19 Jan 2026
By Graham Clark
It has already been a January to savour for trainer Nicky Henderson, but it could be about to become a whole lot better for one of National Hunt racing’s most revered trainers at Cheltenham on Saturday.
There was plenty for the Seven Barrows master to get excited about during the weekend just gone, most notably with the mighty Jonbon bringing the house down when successfully defending his crown in the BetMGM Clarence House Chase crown at Ascot to secure a remarkable 11th Grade One victory.
If that wasn’t enough Henderson also had the pleasure of watching Old Park Star demolish his rivals from afar in the Grade Two Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle to strengthen his Cheltenham Festival claims.
And these victories came just seven days after one time Unibet Champion Hurdle contender Iberico Lord rolled back the years at Kempton Park when springing a 22-1 surprise in the Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.
But as we know nothing stands still in this sport for long and the action ramps up another notch during a bumper eight-race card that makes up Festival Trials Day.
And with the likes of Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite Sir Gino heading what looks like a strong team set to represent Henderson on the day there is every chance it will be his name that steals the headlines once again.
Henderson said: “It was great last weekend. It was great to see the old boy Jonbon, who is now ten, and at the wrong end of the age scale, like us, do what he did in the Clarence House Chase.
“Then you have the other lad, Old Park Star, who is very much at the beginning of his career, and to do what he did was great and exciting for the future.
“So far that was probably one of our best weekends of the season, but then we had Iberico Lord win the Lanzarote Hurdle the weekend before.
"They are rocking and rolling, but things move on and we now have to look forward to Cheltenham and hopefully things will carry on going well there."
SIR GINO
Race: Unibet Hurdle

“He has still got a little bit to do this week, but he is in there and we are all set to go for it.
“I think it was a very good performance in the Christmas Hurdle. He has been very solid so far, but the tests get trickier each time.
“He is potentially a very high class horse , and he is getting there, but he is super talented.
“I think it was an easy decision to keep him over hurdles after that win at Kempton Park and it seemed the obvious thing to do from our point of view.
“He is still very young. We moved into chasing for a very good reason last season and we have brought him back to hurdles for what I think is quite a good reason this season.
“He is definitely not a super sub anymore, but he wasn’t really that anyway. He stepped into the Fighting Fifth last season and he stepped away from the Christmas Hurdle again for obvious reasons so he went chasing.
“That was a stunning performance he put in over fences at Kempton Park and he will go back chasing again one day there is no doubt about that.
“The horse deserves all this success as he had a torrid time in the spring before he was supposed to run in the Game Spirit last season.
“It is probably the dress rehearsal for the English horses going for the Champion Hurdle. We have beaten the mare (Golden Ace), but The New Lion is the young buck, like us, then you have got all the Irish lot to join in yet.
"This race might decide how it is going this side of the water, but I’m not sure it will quite sort out the whole picture just yet.
“He made the running at Kempton Park, but that was because he was too fresh and too gassy. He doesn’t have to make the running that is for sure as he has got all the gears in the world. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.”
IMPOSE TOI
Race: Pertemps Network Cleeve Hurdle

“He has got to finish the week off on the right note, but if he does then the Cleeve is very much the plan for him. He has very much taken his form to new levels this season, but I think the step up to three miles has been the difference.
“His form at the back end of last season in the Coral Cup, at Aintree and then at Punchestown was solid. He did all three meetings and finished in the first four in each of them.
“He just couldn’t get the goal, but having given him three miles he is now a different boy.
“He is very lazy at home and he does nothing. You wouldn’t know that he has got any talent at all, but that is fine as we love them doing it that way. The only trouble is if they don’t work that hard you have got to keep at them that little bit more.
“Rather than keep on galloping I’m minded to run him again. He doesn’t need to run for experience or anything like that, but he is fit, and is well, and he might as well run here as opposed to keep on galloping for another five weeks here.
“He enjoys it and it keeps his mind on the go as well.
“I was surprised and impressed with him when he stepped up in trip at Aintree and he has just continued stepping up from there.
“He will have a penalty to carry and that does add a different dimension to the race, but he is in good form.”
 
Aye, he's pissed there isn't he. It makes no sense however you read it.

Come round to the horse though me... Be interested to see a WTAF price but he probably wouldn't get cut much for winning this anyway so may just play it manually.
 
I'm thinking with the French horse in there and being backed that Impose Toi could go off a very attractive price on Saturday. He's one I shall definitely be having a nice bet on.
 
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No declaration for Theleme in the Cleeve
 
Impose Toi is the starting point with any roll ups on Saturday.
Gowel Road should make it a proper race and Impose Toi will win cosy.
Think his lazy, behind the bridle style suits.
Also if he ran in a 3m hurdle off levels against a bunch of average sorts, he'd still only win by a length or so, just does enough.
 
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Not specifically about the Stayers Hurdle but in the Galmoy today, surely they have blown Staffordshire Knot’s mark for the Pertemps final?
 
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Kabral du Mathan been backed for this race I noticed.
 
still greyed out by B365 even though they've cut it from 33's to 20-1 👏
 
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