Henderson stoked by Raffles triumph

Nicky Henderson is now expecting big things from Fusil Raffles after his victory in the Grade 2 Unibet Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday. The four-year-old went off favourite despite his lack of action and came home three-quarters of a length ahead of Grand Sancy under Daryl Jacob. The son of Saint Des Saints had not been seen since winning at Punchestown in May but looked good throughout, with the duo jumping almost together over the last. However, Fusil Raffles had the pace during the run-in to get home and make it three wins from three for the gelding. With a lack of action, it was unclear how he would run and Henderson admitted it was a shot in the dark. “I was very nervous, he wasn’t ready for a racecourse to be honest, so I wasn’t expecting it to be easy,” he told ITV Racing. “He’s grown so much in the summer and he hadn’t filled out. I didn’t start with him until about three weeks ago, so I was nervous.” And the veteran handler believes that Fusil Raffles could go on to achieve much more after his comeback victory. “There’s a lot more to come, he’s grown a lot and he literally did his first bit of work three weeks ago, so he’s done well,” he added.