Act Of Innocence poised for Trials day test

Following Old Park Star’s brilliant victory at Haydock last Saturday, his stablemate Act Of Innocence will get the chance to state his Cheltenham case on Festival Trials day at Prestbury Park this weekend.

The Gordon and Su Hall-owned duo joined Nicky Henderson after leaving Paul Nicholls at the end of last season and while Act Of Innocence was initially pencilled in for two-mile duties, Old Park Star has been brilliant in winning at Kempton, Cheltenham and Haydock at around that distance and is now a hot favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Act Of Innocence won over an extended two miles on his stable debut at Newbury before being touched off by Nicholls-trained juvenile Minella Yoga last month – and with connections understandably keen to split their aces, he will now step up in trip for Saturday’s Grade Two AIS Novices’ Hurdle.

“Act Of Innocence is going to Cheltenham over two and a half miles on Saturday and we’ll see how he gets on there,” said Henderson.

“If he’s the stayer and the other is the two-miler, then the lucky owner has himself two very nice horses.

“They are nice horses whatever happens next and they are both for the future – they’ll both make lovely chasers.”

Old Park Star will not run again between now and the Festival curtain-raiser on March 10, but could be part of Seven Barrows squad that makes its annual pre-Cheltenham trip to Kempton in mid-February.

Henderson added: “He does not need to run again (before Cheltenham) as he puts a lot into it, but he does find it terribly easy,” Henderson added.

“I would have thought going to Kempton for the gallops morning would do him good. He’s a very clean-winded horse and not difficult so he might not even need to do that, but he might enjoy it.

“He looked terrific on Sunday morning and he is a good-looking horse, beautiful horse.”

Henderson also saw strapping grey Fire Warning open his account at Newbury recently and he will be sent out to garner further experience in the coming weeks.

“He will get further in time for sure and he likes soft ground, so we’ll give him another run in three or four weeks’ time and see,” said the trainer.