Hennessy

Malcolm Denmark's Hennessy gave the popular Carl Llewellyn a big winner to bookend his training career when the benefactor of a trademark Tony Mc Coy masterclass in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April. It was a bittersweet victory for the trainer as his tenure as trainer at Denmark's Weathercock House stables was already under threat and it was no great surprise when the owner announced that Warren Greatrex would take over the reins for the 2009/10 season with the sacked Llewellyn returning to his old boss Nigel Twiston-Davies as assistant. Hennessy seems certain to get an entry at the race which bears his name but he will be best suited by races beyond three and a half miles and is seen as a prospect for either the Scottish National or the Aintree showpiece by his rookie handler, formerly a conditional with Josh Gifford and assistant to Oliver Sherwood. Greatrex was given the unusual compliment by his new boss as a "good feeder" and the thinking in some quarters is that he will improve the durability of his runners (under the old regime, the horses had a reputation for being best fresh and didn't take much racing). Hennessy himself has always seemed best after a break so it will be interesting if his new trainer can inject more steel into the 8yo son of Presenting; if he does then Hennessy will find plenty of opportunities to enhance his reputation. Both his wins over fences have come right handed but it's doubtful that he needs to go that way. If connections deem Aintree unsuitable, it's noteworthy that the increasingly valuable Irish Grand National falls on the previous Monday.