Nicky Henderson is jumping for joy as he hails the return of National Hunt racing to Windsor after 20 years
Nicky Henderson is jumping for joy as he hails the return of National Hunt racing to Windsor after 20 years
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Nicky Henderson was bursting with enthusiasm and, unexpectedly, found himself going back to a time when he dreamed of success. Outside the weighing room at Cheltenham, the six-time champion trainer was discussing with increased animation the most significant development in National Hunt racing for many years — the return of jumping at Windsor.
![[Nicky Henderson said: 'I think this is terrific. It's a very exciting day for National Hunt racing']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/14/22/93156853-0-image-a-45_1734213679180.jpg)
It has been two decades since Windsor, a picturesque venue on the banks of the Thames, last hosted the winter sport — a single season, in 2004-05, when its neighbour Ascot was being redeveloped — and you must go back to 1998 for when it held a permanent place on the roster.
But that all changes on Sunday afternoon. A seven-race card heralds a new era for Windsor and will set them up nicely for the big event in the New Year when they and Ascot stage The Winter Million, a three-day meeting that will hold a crucial place in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival.
Henderson, whose Seven Barrows yard is just 50 miles away from the track down the M4, has vowed to have as many runners as he can at Windsor and he will send three on Sunday — Excello (12.12), La Pinsonniere (1.20) and Old Time Chaser (3.40). This place, after all, has happy memories.
'I think this is terrific,' he says. 'It's a very exciting day for National Hunt racing. It was always a good track. I go back to when I worked for Fred Winter and we would send proper horses there and when I started on my own, I did the same. You went because you'd get good ground.
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