Nicky Henderson hands a promising French recruit a quality midweek card in Newbury on Wednesday.
The first Seven Barrows newcomer in action at the Berkshire circuit is Fire Warning, a rare Henderson-trained runner for prominent owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, who won on the Flat in his home country before finishing second on his hurdles debut at Auteuil.
The five-year-old Gray is in the second division of the Boyle Sports Home Of Early Payout Novices’ Hurdle under James Bowen, and Henderson said: “I like him. He had a couple of runs on the Flat and one over hurdles when he was just beaten.”
“He is a nice, big horse and he is not slow. I would have thought two miles would be enough, if he wanted to go a little further he could go up to two and a half.
“He has done everything we asked and it is time to put our heads above the ground and see what he can do.”
Half an hour later, Henderson and Bowen would partner Feel Gut in the Boyle Sports Best Odds Guaranteed EBF Junior “National Hunt” Hurdle.
The youngster, second in his only start to date at Auteuil, carries the colors of Joe and Marie Donnelly, for whom Henderson has trained two top four-year-olds in the form of Sir Gino and Lulamba over the past two seasons.
However, due to poor power, he was declared a non-runner.
#Big #afternoon #Berkshire #Henderson #newcomer #Races