Altior back on track for Cheltenham

Trainer Nicky Henderson insists it is now full steam ahead for Cheltenham after Altior bounced back to winning ways at Newbury on Saturday.

The 10-year-old was sitting on 19 consecutive wins until his seasonal reappearance at Ascot in November when Cyrname finally lowered the superstar’s colours.

Questions were then asked of the gelding but connections decided to abandon plans to run him over longer distances, with the Festival’s Queen Mother Champion Chase next on the agenda.

The son of High Chaparral has won the last two renewals of the Prestbury Park showpiece and will look to make it a hat-trick next month, with the race his only entry at the Gloucestershire meeting this year.

He is set to face the likes of Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi at the Festival and Henderson feels Saturday’s victory will be shot in the arm for the March spectacle.

‘There is improvement to come and he (jockey Nico de Boinville) said he will come on a lot for it.

As much as anything it will have done his confidence the world of good,’ said the Seven Barrows handler.

‘It was not nice at Ascot and it took a lot of getting over to be honest with you, and Nico said today would have done him the world of good.

‘His jumping and everything just gained in confidence all the way.

It was just a matter of when he pressed the button and let him go and he was good.

‘We know what we have got to do between now and then (Cheltenham) – just keep the ball rolling.’

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