Kent, UK - Nicky Henderson galloped several of his festival team yesterday morning but it was Arkle Trophy favourite Simonsig who wowed onlookers.

The trainer had hoped to gallop the flying grey along with his Champion Hurdle hope Grandouet and two others, Megalypsos and Tistory, at Newbury on Sunday, but that plan had to be abandoned due to a frosty track.

Yesterday’s workout then was Plan B effectively and took place on the home gallops at Lambourn, with all four being asked to stretch out on the Faringdon Road main gallop. They all worked well enough, but the trainer was could not help being impressed with Simonsig most, saying:

“Simonsig is always a flashy worker here; he’s breathtaking, isn’t he?”

Manton trainer George Baker was also on hand to witness the workout, having also been thwarted by the frost at Newbury on Sunday.
He had intended to gallop his sole Festival entry, Sir Alex Ferguson’s I’m Fraam Govan, who is due to run in the Champion Bumper, and was invited down to Lambourn by Henderson to work that horse with a stablemate.

“What an unbelievably kind thought,” said Baker.

“A week before the Festival, I’m sure Nicky [Henderson] had plenty of other things on his mind. What’s more, he took me alongside his jeep to see his horses in action.

“It was so special to see Simonsig work like that. A morning that started badly for me was transformed into a brilliant one.”

The seven-year-old will next week head back to the scene of last season’s Neptune Novices’ Hurdle victory when he lines up the two-mile championship for novice chasers, which is the second race on Tuesday’s card.

Simonsig’s stablemate Grandoet was perhaps the least visually impressive of the quartet, with Henderson commenting afterwards:

“By the look of things, Grandouet probably needed this work more than others.

“I’ll probably do a little bit more with him and a few others here on Friday. It’s too late by then to be having awaydays to a racecourse.”

Grandouet is the general fourth favourite for the 2013 Champion Hurdle and you can find out who the Cheltenhampro.comexperts are tipping up for the race, and the other 26 Festival races on their website.

Visit http://www.Cheltenhampro.com for more information

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/simonsig-sets-pulses-racing-in-pre-festival-gallop/5630