JCB Triumph Hurdle winner at last seasons Cheltenham festival is set to have seasonal return back at jumps racing HQ with Pentland Hills being aimed at the Grade Two International Hurdle.
The four year old was superb last season being unbeaten on all three of his starts with no one, not even the trainer knowing how good the youngster was before he made his first ever appearance for the yard at Plumpton when hosing up.
He was then sent to Cheltenham in the Grade One contest and at odds of 20/1 was an outsider that not many people expected to win but again it was a classy performance to see off a superb field of runners.
He rounded off the season in style for Nicky Henderson when keeping his unbeaten run at the Grand National meeting at Aintree when landing the Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle.
Pentland Hills does the Cheltenham Aintree double!
— Aintree Racecourse (@AintreeRaces) April 4, 2019
The Triumph Hurdle winner remains unbeaten in the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle...#TheWorldIsWatching #SeeYouThere pic.twitter.com/t0jXgDme29
The consistent son of Motivator will be starting his season of in the £140,000 Grade Two contest at Cheltenham next month with another big season in the offing for the youngster who will now be taking on older horses.
(Credit At The Races) His trainer Nicky Henderson said: “The International is the plan with Pentland Hills. He was superb last season and we were delighted with his performance in the Triumph Hurdle.
“We took him to Newbury for a gallop last week and he pleased us with what he did.“The International looks the right race to target, as Buveur D’Air is going for the Fighting Fifth (at Newcastle on Saturday) and Fusil Raffles will go for the Christmas Hurdle (at Kempton on Boxing Day).”
The overall target for Pentland Hills is the Champion Hurdle at the festival and he is currently priced up at 10/1 to take the spoils.