Nicky Henderson, who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Saturday, has trained some greats during his illustrious career. Here are the six who achieved the highest Timeform end-of-season rating.
1) Sprinter Sacre (Timeform rating 192)
Sprinter Sacre, a winner on both starts in bumpers, showed plenty of ability as a novice hurdler, notably finishing third in an excellent edition of the Supreme, but he quickly made up into a top-class chaser the following season, winning all five starts during the 2011/12 campaign, including a sparkling display in the Arkle when he easily beat Cue Card by seven lengths with Menorah a further 22 lengths back in third.
Another perfect season ensued in 2012/13, when his victories included the Tingle Creek, the Victor Chandler Chase, the Melling Chase and the Punchestown Champion Chase. However, the standout display was in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when he beat the top-class Sizing Europe by 19 lengths, recording a Timeform rating of 192p, the highest over jumps in the modern era (1 lb clear of Kauto Star and behind only Arkle and Flyingbolt).
An irregular heartbeat meant he was only seen four times in the following two seasons, running well below his best form each time, but he returned looking much more his old self when winning the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November 2015. Victory in the Desert Orchid Chase followed before he took the roof off Cheltenham when beating Un De Sceaux to land his second Champion Chase. He rounded off another perfect season – and an almost perfect career – with victory in the Celebration Chase at Sandown.
2) Long Run (184)
Long Run joined Nicky Henderson from France in 2009 and made a most taking start to life in Britain, winning the Feltham Novices' Chase on his debut for the yard before finishing third in the RSA at Cheltenham.
A third in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November 2010 was followed by an outstanding display in the King George VI Chase, before he got the better of Kauto Star and Denman in a thrilling Cheltenham Gold Cup that will live long in the memory.
The following season saw him twice finish runner-up to a rejuvenated Kauto Star – in the Betfair Chase and the King George – before winning the Denman Chase at Newbury with a top-class performance. He was then sent off the 7/4 favourite to retain his Gold Cup crown but could ultimately manage only third behind Synchronised.
There would be more Grade 1 glory to come in the 2012/13 season, however, as Long Run landed a second King George VI Chase, while he also registered creditable placed efforts in the Betfair Chase, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Punchestown Gold Cup.
3) Shishkin (181)
Shishkin was pulled up in the Champion Chase on his final start last season (after which he was found to have a rare bone condition) and then ran below-form when a distant third in the Tingle Creek Chase on his recent reappearance at Sandown, and there's now a question about whether he will be able to scale previous heights.
However, it's worth remembering that at his very best he produced an outstanding effort to beat Energumene by a length in an epic edition of the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January, inflicting a first defeat over obstacles on the runner-up who was 18 lengths clear of the previous season's winner First Flow.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsThat superb display took Shishkin's record over fences at the time to seven wins from seven starts over fences, with his superb CV also including Grade 1 victories in the Sporting Life Arkle and Maghull Novices' Chase.
Prior to going chasing Shishkin had won all three completed starts over hurdles, including the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
4) Altior (180)
After showing promise in bumpers, Altior confirmed himself a horse out of the top drawer when making it five wins from five starts over hurdles. That sequence culminated with an impressive victory in the 2016 Supreme at Cheltenham, where he beat a host of talented performers, including Min, who he would spend much of his career in a protracted duel with, and Buveur d’Air, who went on to win two Champion Hurdles.
Altior also went unbeaten in his first season over fences in 2016/17, when his wins included the Arkle and the Celebration Chase, and the following season saw him confirm his status as the best two-mile chaser around with a totally dominant victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsFour more Grade 1s (and one Grade 2) followed in the 2018/19 season, including a second Champion Chase and a third Celebration Chase, with the victory at Sandown taking his tally over jumps to a record 19 wins from 19 starts.
Altior's winning run would come to an end against Cyrname in the 1965 Chase at Ascot on his reappearance in November 2019, though he bounced back to win the Betfair Exchange Chase, registering what would turn out to be the final success of a stellar career.
5) Bobs Worth (179)
Bobs Worth gained a fourth win from four starts over hurdles when landing the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in 2011, showing plenty of stamina after he’d cruised through the race to record what would be just the first of his three wins at National Hunt racing’s most prestigious meeting.
After winning on his chasing debut Bobs Worth then had to settle for minor honours in the Feltham and the Reynoldstown, but he roared right back in the RSA, again staying on powerfully up the famous hill.
He would raise his game again the following term, defying a lofty mark to land the ultra-competitive Hennessy on his return before recording a third successive victory at the Cheltenham Festival by producing a top-class performance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Bobs Worth failed to repeat that level of form again, though he did win the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at Leopardstown the following season.
6) Constitution Hill (177)
Constitution Hill created a sparkling impression on his debut under Rules in a novice hurdle at Sandown last season, leaving Might I, a promising rival in his own right, trailing in his wake as he stormed 14 lengths clear. And he again looked like a horse of rare quality when finding a good turn of foot in the testing ground to quicken 12 lengths clear in the Grade 1 Tolworth Novices' Hurdle back at the same venue the following month.
Those commanding victories marked Constitution Hill out as a hugely exciting prospect but, even so, the performance he produced in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle was extraordinary. In a race run at a strong gallop, Constitution Hill loomed up two out and again showed a fine turn turn of foot to quicken clear, passing the post 22 lengths clear of stablemate of Jonbon.
That earned Constitution Hill a Timeform rating of 177p, the highest ever awarded to a novice hurdler and a figure only bettered by five two-mile hurdlers of any experience.
He confirmed his status as an outstanding hurdler by cruising 12 lengths clear of stablemate Epatante in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month, showing the cruising speed, tactical versatility and electric jumping that makes him the complete package as a two-mile hurdler.
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