Henderson and Aston Martini are the toast of Compiegne
It is the second time Henderson has won the Listed event after Fixe Le Kap's triumph in 2017 and the Seven Barrows handler was delighted to visit a track he once rode at some 50 years ago to celebrate a horse bred and then leased to the syndicate named in honour of the late Henry Ponsonby by the late Richard Aston of Goldford Stud.
Henderson said: 'That was fantastic, a great performance, and we only came here to achieve one thing and that was to get some black type, as there were no more Listed races in Britain and we've had it in mind for some time.
Emphatic victory!
Aston Martini is far too good for Il Est Francais at Compiegne, cruising home to score in the Prix du Cher under Felix De Giles | @sevenbarrows pic.twitter.com/Yiz3QbUHU0
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 14, 2025
'It nearly scuppered our plan to see Il Est Francais in the race, but she was amazing – it's a beautiful track and it was beautiful ground with so much grass on it, it's a great place.
'I was talking to Noel George and he said it wasn't just Il Est Francais in there and there was also some other very good horses in there.
'It's actually the second time we've won that race and we won it with Fixe Le Kap in 2017 and I rode here 50 years ago in a cross-country, which is a bit scary.'
Aston Martini jumped excellently throughout in the hands of Felix de Giles, moving stylishly into contention in the home straight and soon alongside Il Est Francais, who folded tamely before the last, allowing the six-year-old mare to stride clear for a thoroughly impressive 10-length success.
Henderson revelled in having old ally De Giles back riding for him again on a big occasion, while also praising the huge team effort that was required to overcome some obstacles en route to cross-channel glory.
'It was great to have Felix on board again and he's a good old friend – he actually started with us the same year as Nico (de Boinville),' continued Henderson.
'There was a group of them – Nico, David Bass, Andrew Tinkler, Jerry McGrath, Richard Killoran – they were all here the same years and it was lovely to have Felix ride for me again – he's even learnt to speak French properly now, which is the whole point of having him as then I don't have to try.
'We schooled her over fences to get her ready for these hurdles as they really are considerably more substantial than ours and she's jumped beautifully the whole way.
'We've had to be here rather a long time as there was a strike on Monday and all sorts of complications and it was a lot of hard work. I have to praise my girls in the office as well as it has been a nightmare and we almost ditched it, but thankfully we didn't.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'I received envelope from ex-Man Utd player – it was stuffed full of £50 notes'
A striker who enjoyed a successful career in the Premier League with both Manchester United and Everton has been praised for his generosity in a heart-warming anecdote Louis Saha displayed remarkable kindness by gifting a physio a hefty envelope filled with £50 notes as a thank you for helping him through his injury woes. The French striker initially made waves in the Premier League with Fulham, before he went on to join Manchester United in 2004. During his time at United, he clinched two Premier League titles, the Champions League, and a League Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson 's stewardship, bagging 42 goals across 124 matches over four years. Injuries, however, saw Saha fall out of favour, prompting his move from Old Trafford to Everton in 2008. Despite ongoing fitness battles, he still managed to score a commendable 35 goals in 115 games for the Toffees from 2008 to 2012. Saha's relationship with Everton's medical staff was notably positive, especially with ex-club physio Mick Rathbone. Rathbone, once dubbed the 'best signing ever' by David Moyes, recounted a touching story about Saha's generous act after signing a new contract deal at Goodison Park in 2010. "We were excited about working with Louis despite his injury-prone reputation," the former Preston medic wrote in his book, The Smell of Football. "In his first season at the club, we were extremely careful with him, in terms of not pushing him too hard. "We quickly gained his trust because he intimated that at all his previous clubs, he felt this had not necessarily been the case. By his second season we had developed a relationship that allowed us to push him harder. "In those two seasons, Louis played nearly 70 games and scored more than 20 goals for Everton, despite being injured and out for six weeks when he first came to us from Manchester United." Rathbone added: "When Louis signed his new contract in February 2010, Bill Ellaby, the player liaison officer, handed me an envelope. He explained it was a thank you from Louis. I was touched he had taken the trouble to thank me in writing. I opened the envelope thinking, 'F*** me, this is a thick letter.'". "But it wasn't a letter; it was an envelope stuffed with £50 notes. That is the type of gratitude I prefer. After all, let's face it, talk is cheap. Apparently, he rewarded every member of the medical staff in the same way. I think he respected us for the care and time we gave him. It was a magnificent gesture from a great guy." Saha may no longer be on the football pitch, but he's certainly not short of cash these days, with a net worth that dwarfs even that of Cristiano Ronaldo, his ex-teammate at United. Since retiring in 2013 at 35, the former France international has dived into the business world with impressive results. His enterprise 'AxisStars', co-founded with Kate Hamer, is now said to be valued at an eye-watering £4.3billion. The firm seeks to forge links between 'professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners'. The business empire of Saha towers over Ronaldo's hefty £600m fortune, being more than seven times larger. Saha, alongside former marketer Hamer and tech guru Patrice Arnera, has seen his venture flourish. With over 550 ex-sports stars linked to the company, Saha admits that his enterprise, AxisStars, has eclipsed his achievements on the pitch. "I still get asked for advice by different people on a daily basis," he told The Guardian. "For instance, my agent called me to say he had a talented French footballer who he wants to bring to England, and asked me for advice on how to create a tailor-made training programme. I put him in touch with people I used to work with. "This kind of player could join Axis as he can then search for a personal coach in his region. It is a hard process but it's so rewarding, because if I can help 100,000 people, it's the best thing I've ever done." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scotsman
30 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Former Hibs ace in frame for Ligue 1 transfer after Burney exit as he eyes European football
Former Man City prospect is leaving Premier League-bound Burnley as Ligue 1 giants set to sign player who enjoyed Easter Road loan spell. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Former Hibs loanee CJ Egan-Riley is set to make a move to European football with a switch to Marseille trailed after the 22-year-olds exit from Burnley. The ex-Man City youth prospect impressed at Easter Road during his loan in Leith during the second half of the 2022/23 season, from Burnley. He made 14 appearances and has since made himself a mainstay at Turf Moor, playing 41 times in the Championship as Scott Parker's side earned promotion back to the English top flight. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ex-Hibs ace Egan-Riley leaves Burnley for French giants The Clarets were hopeful of keeping Egan-Riley and had offered a "significant long-term contract" but he is expected to exit according to our sister title the Express with Marseille heading for the Uefa Champions League after a second-placed finish in the French top tier last season. The England Under-21 international was part of the record-breaking defence that helped secure Burnley promotion back to the Premier League, keeping a whopping 30 clean sheets. Burnley boss Parker had previously been hopeful of keeping Egan-Riley at the club going into the new campaign. Speaking in April, Parker said: "I am confident. I know both the players (Egan-Riley and Josh Brownhill) have loved this year and been vital to what we've done. Obviously you never know, but hopefully we can get to a point where we'll have a bit of clarity on that." 'I played in some Edinburgh derbies, played against Celtic and Rangers which are massive games. The Edinburgh derby was crazy! Definitely the best atmosphere I have ever played in. The Celtic away game was also crazy; Celtic Park is a mad stadium. It was just great to experience these type of games and atmospheres. Burnley wish Egan-Riley well after player decides to move on In a statement yesterday, Burnley said: 'Burnley Football Club can confirm that it has been informed by the representatives of CJ Egan-Riley that the England U21 international defender has now formally rejected the club's offer of a significant long-term contract with the club. 'Despite the club's commitment to securing CJ's long-term future and the substantial investment offered, CJ has made the decision to pursue an opportunity in France. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Burnley FC would like to take this opportunity to thank CJ for his contribution to the team during his time at the club, particularly last season, where he became a key part of our record-breaking defence. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours. "The club remains focused on strengthening the squad as we look ahead to the forthcoming Premier League season and further announcements will be made in due course.' England U21 star Egan-Riley loved his time at Easter Road Speaking after the conclusion of his loan at Easter Road in 2023, Egan-Riley told Burnley's club website: 'I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great experience for me, Edinburgh was a lovely city and as a club they welcomed me in from day one. I loved it there. They put a lot of faith and trust in to me and everyone was great at the club with me. 'The first half of the season was tough, although it was enjoyable training and learning a lot, the second half of the season I was definitely in a better place mentally. As a footballer you obviously want to be playing every game week in week out and since January when I went up there, I played every game. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I played in some Edinburgh derbies, played against Celtic and Rangers which are massive games. The Edinburgh derby was crazy! Definitely the best atmosphere I have ever played in. The Celtic away game was also crazy; Celtic Park is a mad stadium. It was just great to experience these type of games and atmospheres.
The National
43 minutes ago
- The National
Rangers-linked PSG talent completes move to Portuguese club
The Ibrox club were linked with a move for the 18-year-old earlier this summer. Indeed, Rangers were said to have been monitoring the Camara, with a view to making him an offer to swap Paris for Glasgow. Read more: Their interest soon cooled, though, per L'Equipe, with the club's change in ownership meaning he was no longer a target. Camara has now joined Vitoria Guimaraes, who finished sixth in the Portuguese top flight last season. He has penned a four-year deal with the club. The teenager played 28 times for PSG's under-19s last season, scoring 12 goals and assisting five. An official Guimaraes statement read: "Oumar Camara has headed to Portugal to join Les Conquistadores just days after winning the French Under-19 title, captaining his side to the trophy and scoring the decisive goal in the 80th minute. "The young player, who hails from Paris, completed his youth training at Paris Saint-Germain and is a French international at Under-17 and Under-18 levels. "Known for his versatility in the front line and his attacking talent, Oumar Camara stands out for his leadership skills and is excited about integrating into a new country and a professional senior team."
