Ladbrokes King George VI Chase: Santini supplemented and Altior ready to return

Henderson’s charge was beaten just a neck by Al Boum Photo in last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and returned to action with second place in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree this month, finishing a length behind Lake View Lad after a prolonged run to the line with the last two fences omitted.

The eight-year-old is expected to head back to Cheltenham next month to defend his Cotswold Chase crown, but Henderson felt it was worth stumping up £5,000 to add him to the Kempton field because the Milan gelding is in fine form at home.

Henderson said: “When you are in lockdown Tier 4, you haven’t got a lot to do on a Sunday afternoon (and) I had a bright idea about what to do with Santini.

“The Cotswold Chase is still five or six weeks away, so we supplemented him this morning for the King George party.

“We discussed it last night. We’ve been through everything this morning, and he’s so well in himself and passed all his medical checks.

“We didn’t put him in originally because I’m the first to admit we don’t think Kempton will be his ideal track – but he’s very well in himself, and there’s nothing else to do. He may as well gallop round Kempton rather than gallop around here for five weeks.

"This horse thrives on racing, the more you throw at him the better he is. He'll love it, win or lose. He'll enjoy himself, he'll come back and within two days he'll be bucking and screaming again. That's the sort of horse he is."

Altior ready to rock on Kempton comeback

Altior will make on his eagerly-anticipated reappearance in the Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton where he is likely to face Irish raider and rising star Put The Kettle On.

The latter won last season's Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival before making a winning reappearance in the Shloer Chase, but Henderson has full faith in his dual Champion Chase hero.

Henderson said: "We rather hoped the public would be able to see him at Kempton on the day after Boxing Day, but unfortunately, that will now not be the case, which is sad because he's like Sprinter Sacre in that he likes crowds.

"He likes the fact he's the best horse - well, he's not apparently the best horse, but he is technically. Let's face it, the stats tell you that.

"He's been beaten once and it's something I'll regret for the rest of my life. We did what we thought was right the other day and I don't regret the decision, even if, for whatever reason, everyone else didn't agree.

"This will be soft, but as I explained the other day, Sandown soft and Kempton soft are two different things and I have no worries about the ground. He will run, he has to. Sandown and Kempton are two different softs; one is on gravel, one is on clay, one gets very sticky and the other doesn't.

"I know Henry de Bromhead is coming over with the Arkle winner [Put The Kettle On] and I'm sure there will be others. We're all getting older - it does slow you down, of course it does - but he seems in very good form. He's been to Kempton lots of times and he's just a better horse on better ground.

"Going back to the Cyrname race last year; that did him a lot of damage and I couldn't face that happening again. He's got to prove it, there are doubters out there, of course there are, but we're happy with where we are."

Epatante bids for Kempton double

Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante will bid for back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle following her bloodless comeback victory at Newcastle.

The six-year-old has only met defeat once in seven hurdles starts to date and having breezed to victory in this race 12 month ago, Henderson is excited to see her strut her stuff again.

He said: "She'd compare very highly with some of the very good hurdlers we've had. She and Altior did a piece of work together on Friday; they work together because they compliment each other, mainly because they're both very good.

"They don't go for a dust-up, they do a nice bit of work together where they take each other to the level I want them to. They don't have a race, they just enjoy themselves and help each other, because they are both very talented. They're both two milers.

There was also a word on former champion Buveur D'Air who could return as early as the middle of January as he continues on the road to recovery having missed much of last season due to injury.

"Buveur D'Air is coming along nicely. He worked on Saturday and every day he's getting better and better. When we started the season he was lame, but all has gone very well and the injury has not been an interference whatsoever.

"I'd like a run before the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, something in the middle of January if I could. His work has been excellent and we have every hope and ambition that he will get to Cheltenham. He’s got to meet Epatante. He’s a two-miler and she’s a two-miler so we are very lucky."