Nicky Henderson’s Epatante finds Festival form with impressive victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton
- Epatante regained her Christmas Hurdle crown at Kempton on Boxing Day
- Nicky Henderson believes the seven-year-old showed she has her mojo back
- It also erased the memory of her defeat as the odds-on favourite last year
Nicky Henderson believes Epatante showed she has her mojo back in a decisive victory from Glory And Fortune in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle.
It was a performance that helped erase the memory of her defeat as the odds-on favourite in the contest last year, with her slick jumping an indication that back treatment over the summer has had a positive effect — although Epatante will have to raise her game to beat Ireland’s Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
![Epatante regained her Christmas Hurdle crown at Kempton on Boxing Day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/12/26/22/52244453-0-image-a-14_1640558025656.jpg)
Epatante regained her Christmas Hurdle crown at Kempton on Boxing Day
Henderson said: ‘Her jumping is back together. That has changed the game quite considerably.
‘It was a Champion Hurdle performance but it is another bridge when you get there.’