Nicky Henderson's success with Terrefort was his fourth Grade One win of the 2018 Randox Health Grand National Festival so far. Yesterday (Thursday), We Have A Dream took the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Novices' Hurdle, Might Bite won the Betway Bowl and L'Ami Serge scored in the Betway Aintree Hurdle.

 

Terrefort, ridden by Daryl Jacob for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, was the 3/1 favourite and beat Ms Parfois by three and three-quarter lengths.

 

Henderson said: "He's only five, but we moved him up to three miles for the first time today. He was the one horse we came here today with confident that he would like the ground. He's had a very busy time - he came to us at Christmas and I think he had already had 12 runs before that in France. He surprised me a lot even at Huntingdon the first time, so imagine how surprised I am now that he has won two Grade Ones!

 

"He shows nothing at home, absolutely zero. I sent him to Huntingdon for a little handicap the first time and was amazed [he beat Red Rum Chase winner Bentelimar by 10 lengths on January 12]. Then he won the G1 Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown [in February] and was second [in the JLT Novices' Chase] at Cheltenham, and now he's won here. Today's exercise was to see whether he would stay, and he had to stay well in that ground. He quickened up, but you've got to see this out well today."

 

Asked about future plans for Terrefort, Henderson replied: "He's only five. He's a winter horse, anyway - he's got that advantage; there's no point in coming out early. The handicapper's not going to give him much of a chance so he will have to go down some sort of a [Graded race] route. We've got a summer to dream about it."

A clearly delighted Jacob said: "We've been delighted with him since he came over [having been bought out of Guillaume Macaire's yard in France]. His work had been just average before he made his debut over here at Huntingdon [he won] and just average after that run, but he just seems to keep it all for the track.

 

"He is never flamboyant in his schooling or work, but after his last schooling session before we came here I said to Nicky, 'He's getting the hang of this English job'.