NICKY HENDERSON is already watching the weather for red-hot Champion Hurdle favourite Buveur D’Air.
The champion trainer is keen to get a racecourse gallop into his star hurdler but plunging temperatures could put a spanner in the works.
After barely coming off the bridle in three easy wins this season Henderson wants to work last year’s Champion Hurdle hero before racing at Kempton on Saturday.
But track bosses could be forced to put frost covers down and that might scupper the plans.
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Henderson said: “I would really like to go to a racecourse on a raceday. An away day is fun but a raceday gives them that little bit more adrenalin. They can do that little bit more.
“Buveur D’Air worked on Saturday and he worked today. I hope he is able to go to Kempton on Saturday but we do have a problem with the weather. It’s frustrating.
“I wouldn’t mind him having a slightly harder race last time at Sandown – just to stretch him a little bit more. He is quite a stuffy horse – he needs plenty of work.
“I think he’s still improving – he’s getting stronger.”
Buveur D’Air is 4-9 to win a second Unibet Champion Hurdle with Sun Bets. The 2015 champ Faugheen is next best at 6-1 with Henderson’s three-time Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours a 10-1 shot.
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Henderson added: “Tent is on old legs, bless him. There’s some creaky old bits and pieces we need to be very careful with.
“He will want to go to Kempton to work with the all-weather squad next week.”
Henderson also intends to run Charli Parcs and Verdana Blue in the Champion Hurdle – the feature race of the first day of next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
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