The Cheltenham Roar arrives at 13:20 today and when it does, Nicky Henderson will be sending out a horse his own stable has quietly compared to Shishkin. Not to a decent novice hurdler. Not to a horse with a future. To Shishkin — a Supreme winner who went on to become one of the great two-mile chasers of his generation. That is the benchmark the Seven Barrows team are working from as Old Park Star lines up for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, and when you study the form that produced an RPR of 159 and back-to-back double-figure winning margins over hurdles, it is not difficult to see why. This is our NAP of the day at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Selection
Old Park Star is a six-year-old gelding trained by Nicky Henderson at Upper Lambourn, partnered by Nico de Boinville in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle over 2m87y on good to soft ground at Cheltenham. He arrives as market favourite, 3-3 over hurdles, with an OR of 151, RPR of 159, and TS of 130. His form figures under Henderson read 1-1-1. The expert view captures his trajectory precisely: a horse who was placed three times but winless in bumpers for Paul Nicholls has become an unbeaten, demolition-job machine since the switch to Henderson — and to hurdles. Three wins in this sphere for the new stable, including 12 lengths at this course and distance, and 18 lengths in the Grade 2 Rossington Main at Haydock last time out. The Racing Post's own assessment: "greatly respected in his bid to give Nicky Henderson a sixth success in this race."
Form and Class
The Haydock performance is the one that catapulted Old Park Star to the head of the ante-post market and kept him there. Winning the Grade 2 Rossington Main by 18 lengths over 1m7f on good to soft ground, he produced what Henderson described with genuine surprise: "It was extraordinary how there were some horses on his tail and I was thinking 'uh-oh' and the next minute he had gone, they were off the bridle and capitulated, they couldn't go with him." That is a trainer being caught off guard by his own horse's acceleration — not a managed performance, but a raw display of superiority that the field simply could not live with.
The course form is equally compelling. Old Park Star has already won at this course and distance — Cheltenham 2m87y — by 12 lengths. He has been to Cheltenham, he has won at Cheltenham, and he has done so by the kind of margin that strips out any tactical luck from the assessment. The RPR of 159 is his highest figure yet, achieved at Haydock while being described by his trainer as a horse who has "far more progress to be unlocked." Henderson's comparison to Shishkin — rather than to Altior — is a deliberate distinction: Shishkin was a horse who arrived at the Supreme with an almost unsettling aura of class, won with his head in his chest, and subsequently confirmed himself at a far higher level. Henderson is not given to hyperbole. The comparison was made in full knowledge of what it invites.
The brother-to-a-Cheltenham-Festival-winner pedigree line is context rather than cause, but it matters: this is a horse from a family that has already proven it handles the unique demands of this track and occasion. Crucially, the expert view notes he is a strong traveller who "doesn't necessarily need to dominate" — his front-running has been a style choice, not a dependency, and Henderson has confirmed he would welcome being taken along for a bit today.
Why Today
Henderson's record in this race is extraordinary — five wins since 1986, including Altior, Shishkin, and Constitution Hill. All three of those horses won the Supreme and went on to become Grade 1 forces at the highest level. The trainer himself has drawn the comparison to this crop. The yard is at 33% over the past 14 days from 18 runners. Nico de Boinville, the stable's first-choice jockey for the biggest days, takes the ride. Good to soft is the ground he has already won on emphatically at both Cheltenham and Haydock — there are no conditions left to satisfy.
The Opposition
The principal danger is Mighty Park, Willie Mullins' five-year-old who made such an impression on his Fairyhouse debut — winning by 38 lengths — that assistant trainer David Casey compared the horse's raw speed to Faugheen. That is an extraordinary reference point, and Mighty Park is rightly feared. Casey confirmed in the Racing Post: "I rode him before Christmas, and I didn't realise how fast he was until I did." The horse is genuine, unbeaten, and potentially electric. He represents the single biggest question mark against Old Park Star today, and punters should be aware of it. Talk The Talk from Joseph O'Brien's yard completes the principal market trio — a Grade 1 winner at the Dublin Racing Festival, progressive, strong finisher, though the Cheltenham hill poses questions for a horse that tends to stalk and arrive late. El Cairos for Gordon Elliott, fifth in last year's Champion Bumper and a comfortable Thurles winner, is the most experienced of the mid-market group and Jack Kennedy gives him every chance. Mydaddypaddy and Sober Glory are each-way interests at bigger prices.
The Bottom Line
Won this course and distance by 12 lengths. Won the Grade 2 at Haydock by 18 lengths on ground that suits. RPR 159 and climbing. Henderson draws comparison to Shishkin. Henderson's yard 33% in the past 14 days. Nico de Boinville in the saddle for the trainer's potential sixth Supreme win. The expert view says "greatly respected" — and this is a horse that has done nothing but earn that respect at every start under his new trainer. At 3.25, this is a Festival NAP — back each-way or win to a level stake you are comfortable with, and respect the Mighty Park threat on the day.
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