Overview
- Trainer Nicky Henderson confirmed the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner will not run at Cheltenham and has ended his jumping career.
- An emphatic Southwell Flat debut, winning by nine and a half lengths, accelerated plans to race on the level.
- Henderson cited horse welfare, jockey safety and legal pressure in explaining the call, adding he would have quit training if the horse had been injured.
- Early Flat options include the John Porter at Newbury on April 18, with widespread international interest reported and longer‑term targets still to be decided.
- Henderson blamed the BHA’s switch to white hurdles for the jumping issues, while leading trainer Henrietta Knight backed the decision as vital for the sport’s reputation.