It is remarkable to think that legendary trainer Nicky Henderson hasn’t yet added the Grand National to the astonishing list of accolades he has won over his career. So, can he finally tick it off in 2023?
The short answer is that it is unlikely but not impossible for a man that has a long and illustrious past at Aintree.
The odds are against Henderson
Indeed, Henderson has been winning races at the Grand National Festival for decades. You only need to cast your mind back to 1992 when Henderson got one of his first tastes of success at the festival by winning the Marsh Chase with Remittance Man.
Now, while you might not see any of the 72-year-old’s horses listed if you bet on the Marsh Chase market this year with Fakir D’Oudairies the favourite in 2023, this is a race that Henderson has won three times in his career. The wider point is that Henderson has enjoyed remarkable success in Liverpool but for one reason or another, has never got his hands on the Grand National trophy and as briefly touched on, that doesn’t look like changing in 2023.
Instead, the Grand National Festival ante post tips make a strong case for the eventual winner bing Corach Rambler at odds of 11/2, while little fanfare surrounds Henderson’s horse, Mister Coffey, who has been priced at 33/1.
Mister Coffey (2/1 fav) sweeps from last to first to land the Kingston Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) in tremendous style under Nico De Boinville.
A swift double for the jockey and trainer, Nicky Henderson, after the earlier success of Pym. pic.twitter.com/nrTZodMF2a
— Sandown Park (@Sandownpark) November 8, 2020
As you can see, the odds seemed to be stacked against Henderson finally winning the Grand National but it’s interesting to note that he thinks Mister Coffey stands a far better chance than what the current odds are suggesting.
It’s worth listening to Henderson’s observations given that he does know a thing or two about winning recently having just come off the back of the Cheltenham Festival where he enjoyed unprecedented success with Constitution Hill who has been described ‘as the horse of a generation.’
Yes, speaking in the lead-up to the Grand National, Henderson said of Mister Coffey’s chances: “He’s perfectly capable of it and it’s nice to be going in there with a horse that realistically does have a chance.”
That is a telling statement and even if he has come agonizingly close in the past, the truth is that the iconic trainer does know what it takes to win. There are, after all, valuable lessons to be learned in defeat.
Mister Coffey makes his debut over hurdles today for @sevenbarrows 🙌
His former trainer @Harry_Whitt broke in the son of Derby winner Authorized and was nothing but impressed by him 😉 pic.twitter.com/YuwTby0Y4F
— The Jockey Club (@TheJockeyClub) December 28, 2019
A tale of what could have been
Indeed, it hasn’t been for want of trying to win the Grand National with Henderson first getting a taste of this famous race back in 1979 when the horse he trained, Zongalero, finished second behind Rubstic. While it may have seemed a certainty 44 years ago that Henderson would win it after such a promising start to the showdown in Merseyside, the reality was that it would only be eight years later when the opportunity would present itself once more. Although again, it wasn’t to be as Maori Venture would beat Henderson’s Tsarevitch in 1987 to hand the trainer his second runner-up finish. Still, two second-place finishes in the first decade of competing represented a very competent record; it was only a matter of time many people thought.
Yet here we are in 2023, with Henderson having entered 42 horses into the Grand National without registering a win. Granted, it isn’t a case of now or never just yet with Henderson likely to compete in a few more Grand Nationals but the clock now is certainly ticking on a career that has rewarded in abundance.
Will the Grand National be the one that got away for Henderson? All eyes will be on Merseyside in mid-April to see if Mister Coffey can give his trainer the final piece of the puzzle.