NICKY Henderson was not unduly worried when Buveur D’Air was inched out by stable-companion Verdana Blue in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and his dual Champion Hurdle winner looked as good as ever when breezing home in the Listed 888Sport Contenders Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

Starting at odds of 1/5, J P McManus’ eight-year-old twice tracked Rayvin Black, who is showing clear signs of temperament, and went on again for Barry Geraghty approaching two out. He was not unduly pressed to hold Vision Des Flos by two lengths, with Roksana third. In this modest company he needed merely to show his well-being, which he did. He will go straight to Cheltenham with every chance of completing the hat-trick, a feat Henderson achieved with See You Then from 1985 onwards.

PROHIBITIVE PRICES

The Contenders Hurdle has gone Buveur D’Air’s way at prohibitive prices for the past three years and offers just the sort of workout he needs.

“Barry felt he was slicker today and his jumping was deadly,” the trainer said. “We can only do what we’ve got to do and whatever they throw at us we’ve got to face. I know exactly what we’ve got to do over the next five weeks.”

The biggest surprise on the opening day next month would be a British winner from outside the Henderson stable because two of his other ‘possibles’, Brain Power and Verdana Blue, are the only home-trained runners shorter than 33/1 in the ante-post market.

The biggest threat will almost certainly come from Ireland in the shape of Apple’s Jade, Sharjah and Laurina but Buveur D’Air is solid at 13/8 with two of the bigger firms and shorter elsewhere.