The Champion Trainer title, decided on prize money, goes to Nicky Henderson who, in the process lands the sixth Championship of his career having first won the title in 1985/86.
Henderson secured £2,533,862 in prize money – £192,550 ahead of 11-time Champion Trainer, Paul Nicholls – and trained 118 winners, 22 more than his long-time rival.
The Seven Barrows maestro has had a year to remember as he plotted his way to a sixth title training 118 winners across the season along with 219 placed horses – from a total of 457 runners.
Of those 118 winners, the 69-year-old claimed 15 graded victories, the first coming on Saturday 9th November at Wincanton Racecourse with Fusil Raffles in the Grade 2 Unibet Elite Hurdle and most recently with Dame De Compagnie in the Grade 3 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday 11th March – one of four wins at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.
This year’s title charge has been formed off the foundation of many top horses; none more exciting than Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner, Shishkin.
Epic dual between Shishkin and Abacadabras 🐴⚔️🐴
Shishkin and @NdeBoinville come out the victors in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle pic.twitter.com/Pl8SP8ySxL
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) March 10, 2020
Elsewhere the rise of Santini as one of the top prospects in the 3-mile chasing division has been intriguing and testament to the 69-year-old’s knack of getting the very best out of his horses. Over the course of the season the 8-year-old rose almost 20 pounds from a mark of 153 to 171 and is now regarded as one of the very best chasers around.
The mercurial chaser Champ and Champion Hurdler Epatante have also proved hugely important inmates for the trainer.
How on earth did he win that!? 😳
Champ comes from nowhere, 720/1 in running, to win the RSA Chase 🏇💨💨pic.twitter.com/sJ5IvGLEC4
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) March 11, 2020
Throughout the season stable jockey Nico de Boinville was Henderson’s closest ally; the duo combining for a total of 63 winners together.