Kenny Alexander, owner of wondermare Honeysuckle, is in fighting spirit ahead of her new season and fears nobody as his superstar sets out to win a hat-trick of Champion Hurdles, starting at Fairyhouse next month.
Alexander revealed: “We’re all guns blazing. Don’t listen to this hysteria about Constitution Hill.
“You can never tell until they hit the track, but Henry said Honeysuckle looks as good as ever and we’ll go to the Hatton’s Grace in a few weeks and hopefully she wins that.
“I think it’s going to be a lot tougher for her this year, as last year the hurdling division was full of horses that she’d beaten before with a couple of young ones that never really turned out as good as we thought. But this year is strong with Constitution Hill, and a couple of new kids on the block from last year like Vauban, who looked proper, and Pied Piper who is decent.
“Constitution Hill could be anything but we’ll be taking him on that’s for sure.
The Honeysuckle v Constitution Hill debate is one that will hopefully rumble on for a few months yet with Tote Ten To Follow stables so far having it in favour of the Henderson charge with 70.8% of stables picking him over Honeysuckle’s 62.6%.
“I don’t think Constitution Hill will come to Ireland before Cheltenham and we won’t go to the UK until March. I watched him when he won the Supreme and was pretty blown away by it.
“But there has been a lot of nonsense spoken about Constitution Hill running the last two furlongs faster than Honeysuckle, but it wasn’t a time trial, it was a race. I thought he looked very impressive, but you can get carried away with one race.
“This time last year everybody was talking about Shishkin, but half the battle is getting them to the track. I don’t think about the Festival until March as half the battle is getting them there, it must be 60/70% that both of them actually get there.
“Touchwood Honeysuckle has always been sound, and I hope Constitution Hill is too, but keeping these National Hunt horse sound is half the battle.
Ten To Follow players will be pleased to know that Alexander has confirmed that Honeysuckle will take her usual route to the Festival and that could include picking up bonus races on her way to the UK in March.
“If she wins the Hatton’s Grace, then we’ll go to the Irish Champion Hurdle and if all is going well it’s the Champion Hurdle in March.
“If she’s still showing us all the right signs after that we’ll have one more race at Punchestown and that will be it and then send her off to stud. This will definitely be her last season, and at this stage I just want to get her out in one piece.
“Some people said to retire her last year, but I think one more year. They are a long time retired and as long as she is still firing, which she seems to be, then we’ll keep going.
Honeysuckle might not be Alexander’s only hope of a Cheltenham Festival winner this season, as the Scotsman believes he could have more than a handful of horses heading to the big meeting.
“I’ve got about nine horses that could make it to Cheltenham, but quite frankly if I could get half of them there, I’ll be doing well. Injuries can be brutal at times.
“Honeysuckle will be the big one in the Champion Hurdle. Telmesomethinggirl will go novice chasing and hopefully we can get her in the Arkle.
“Willie Mullins seems to really like Gala Marceau who’ll aim for the Triumph Hurdle and I’ve got another with Willie called Heia that will be shooting for the Mares Chase. Gauloise will go for that as well if she’s good enough.
“Brampton Belle ran on Sunday as a prep run and will hopefully end up in the National Hunt Chase and we’ve got Halka Du Tabert out this weekend who could be a nice prospect.
Alexander will also be down in Cheltenham this weekend to watch his horse, Brave Way, run on Saturday, which is also the opening day of the Ten To Follow Jumps campaign.
You have until 11am on the 12th November to get your stable entered and to help you along, Kenny has picked out his star studded stable for the season.
Kenny Alexander’s Ten To Follow
- Honeysuckle
- Telmesomethingirl
- Au Plus tard
- Allaho
- Energumene
- Vauban
- Facile Vega
- Klassical Dream
- Bob Olinger
- Bravemansgame
Enter your Ten To Follow stable here
