The Nicky Henderson-trained Sir Gino is set to return to racing on Boxing Day in the Christmas Hurdle and is odds-on to win the contest.

But if you were to go back 12 months, to when we last saw him on a racetrack, at the same meeting, you wouldn’t have imagined him taking this route.

The struggles for Constitution Hill have left Nicky Henderson searching for a replacement runner in the Champion Hurdle, and Sir Gino is the horse that’s been selected.

I’m not a fan of this approach, especially as different people own the two horses. But it is what it is, and rather than going chasing, we’ll see Sir Gino bid to win this contest, and then eventually work his way into the Champion Hurdle picture in March.

Sir Gino Odds On for Hurdles Return

The fact that Sir Gino is back on the racetrack is a big positive, as there was talk of not only career ending problems, but also life ending problems.

Ruled out of the end of last season, his target return was always Christmas, so it’s great to see him on track for that. But not chasing, where his future was expected to lie, instead hurdling, after another failing from Constitution Hill.

That’s not to say Sir Gino doesn’t have the profile to run well over hurdles. He has an abundance of quality and has proven it already, albeit some time ago now.

A perfect six from six all in, five of those coming over hurdles. He’s won at Grade One level, winning the Aintree Juvenile Hurdle in April 2024, and won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in November 2024, another time he stood in for Constitution Hill.

His only chase start saw him land the Grade Two Wayward Lad Novice Chase at this meeting, romping him in front of Ballyburn by over seven lengths.

There’s no doubt the horse has incredible talent, and this path means he’s hopefully heading towards one of the main races at the Cheltenham Festival.

But even with his injury problems and the scare they had over that, I still would prefer him to have gone back over the fences. He should be aiming towards the Champion Chase, not the Champion Hurdle.

The decision was made to send him chasing, and the failings of another runner in the same yard, but not in the same ownership, shouldn’t really impact that.

Of course, I hope he wins, and I hope he demonstrates enough to get me excited about the Champion Hurdle. But Nicky Henderson doesn’t do himself any favours with some of his decision making, it’s another one I don’t agree with, and to be honest, I’m probably a little annoyed by.

There could be several reasons why Sir Gino has been moved, but if there are, we’ve not been told, and we’ve certainly not seen them on the track.

It feels like we’ve been robbed of a chasing star, because the stable feels it needs a hurdling star over two miles, simply because they don’t have one.

I’ll get over it before Christmas, and when Boxing Day comes, I’ll be cheering on Sir Gino, in the hope he brings the Champion Hurdle to life, especially after a subdued Fighting Fifth this year.

Let’s hope we get a Christmas cracker, something to get us all excited for March, and perhaps even enough for Nicky Henderson to make me look silly, with this being the right decision all along.