Nicky Henderson is in a bullish mood ahead of Long Run’s bid to win the 2011 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The ultra-talented six-year-old looked Gold Cup material when he cruised to a scintillating success in the King George VI Chase at Kempton last month and Henderson believes that the superstar is one of the best he has ever trained.
Henderson has dismissed talk that Cheltenham doesn’t suit the French import and explained: "He's my best by quite a long way, I suspect.
"Marlborough was knocking on the door a bit and I suppose he was as close as we've been to having a Gold Cup horse. We just haven't had one."
Talking about his defeat at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, Henderson continued: "Nothing went right for him in the RSA last year and we had an inkling the week before in his coat and his whole demeanour, he'd just suddenly gone. But at the moment everything is going well.
"The priority of the season was Kempton because nobody denies that Kempton, on what we had seen when he won the Feltham, was the perfect place for him.
"But what was so good about Kempton was the rhythm and I don't see why he shouldn't get into that at Cheltenham.
"The reason why he didn't in the Paddy Power was that two miles and five in a competitive handicap just got him out of his comfort zone.
"We've worked on that quite a lot and we've another session with Yogi Breisner next week. I'm not worried about Cheltenham. It had been a long campaign before the RSA. He's very young for a Gold Cup horse but there's nothing else you can do and he stays."
However, Henderson is taking nothing for granted and admitted that Kauto Star is still the one that they might have to beat in the blue riband showpiece: "You have to accept that wasn't Kauto Star anywhere near his best - they can't both beat him like that because Kauto at his very best at Kempton was awesome.
"If Kauto Star turns up like he was in the King George the year before, he is still the horse we've all got to beat."
