Buveur D’Air is injured and Altior is likely to miss the King George but for Nicky Henderson, it seems, there is always a fresh set of young stars to bring through. He had three winners here, to go with Friday’s double, and bagged the International Hurdle for the sixth time before suggesting that the best horse he ran here finished unplaced.

Call Me Lord was backed down to 2-1 favourite for the race formerly known as the Bula and duly delivered, holding off the late challenge of Ballyandy by a neck. Can he be the first winner of this since Rooster Booster to follow up in the Champion Hurdle? The bookmakers will let you have 16-1 if you think so.

Henderson’s other runner, the previously unbeaten Pentland Hills, faded into a tired fifth but this was his first outing since April and the trainer seemed more keen on his prospects than those of the winner. “Don’t be in any way disappointed with Pentland Hills,” he said. “I thought he ran a good race. And for me, until after the last, he ran like the best horse in the race. He’s got burly and he’ll come on a lot for that.”

It looks as though Buveur D’Air, injured when beaten in the Fighting Fifth last month, may not make it to the March Festival here but Henderson is not short of other classy speedsters and plans to run three in the Christmas Hurdle, including Fusil Raffles, whom he described as “the horse you want to look out for”.

Quick Guide Racing tips for Monday 16 December Show Plumpton

12.10 Diablo De Rouhet 12.40 Highway One O Two 1.10 Mr Perfect 1.45 Battle Of Ideas 2.15 Scrutinise (nb) 2.50 Flaminger 3.20 Little River Boy Ffos Las

12.30 Out The Glen 1.00 Jac Brown 1.30 Some Can Dance 2.05 Thomas Macdonagh 2.35 Deja Vue 3.10 Frankly Speaking 3.45 Fanfaron Dino Wolverhampton 4.05 Railport Dolly 4.40 Canadian George 5.10 Bahuta Acha 5.40 Augustus Caesar 6.10 Manap (nap) 6.40 Divine Connection

7.10 Pledge Of Honour 7.40 Calin’s Lad

Evidently there is little point looking out for Altior, at least on Boxing Day, as the great horse was below his normal best in a gallop on Saturday morning and Henderson now rates him “extremely unlikely” to line up in the King George, which would have been his first try at three miles.

However, the trainer did not rule out a return to two miles for the Desert Orchid the very next day, on the grounds that it would be less of a slog. “The horse will tell us when he wants to come back. If he suddenly finds his wings have sprouted again, who knows?”

Quick Guide Sunday's racing tips Show Carlisle: 11.50 Raymond 12.20 Lastin' Memories 12.50 Skiddaw Tara 1.20 Cloudy Glen 1.55 Planet Nine 2.25 Shanroe Santos (nap) 3.00 Fontaine Collonges 3.30 Brave Seasca.



Southwell: 12.10 Megaboost 12.40 Indian Native (nb) 1.10 Shan Blue 1.45 Echiquier 2.15 Hijran 2.50 Whatsdastory 3.20 Schiaparannie.



The Caspian Caviar Gold Cup was won by the big, handsome Warthog, whose unattractive name is surely a piece of mickey-taking. He rallied gamely to get up on the line, thrilling his owner, Caroline Tisdall, on her 74th birthday.

“I’m just shaking from head to foot and I can’t think straight,” said the former art critic of The Guardian. “It’s just wonderful. It’s like a massive injection of dopamine and quite a few illegal things as well, not that I know, and there’s nothing quite like it. You get a miniature version of it if you have a good bet come off as well. You don’t have to own the thing.”