The Mister Coffey enigma - can racing's most lovable loser finally break his 1,585-day duck at the Cheltenham Festival?

Lockdown restrictions were in place the last time Mister Coffey got his head in front in a horse race. Sandown, November 8, 2020 was Mister Coffey's last date in the winner's enclosure and no fans were there to welcome him.

He isn't short of fans now. Despite being called a few names by punters during a losing run that stretches to 18 races over almost four and a half years, in which he has finished runner-up eight times, Mister Coffey's serious case of seconditis has captured the hearts of racing fans and turned him into one of the most popular horses at Henderson's star-studded yard.

What is remarkable is that Mister Coffey has proved himself to be a darn good horse throughout that time. The ten-year-old has been second and third on his two visits to the Cheltenham Festival, as well as finishing runner-up in a Grade 1 novice chase in 2022 (a category he is still qualified to run in) and being three lengths clear at the second-last in the 2023 Grand National before finishing a tired eighth.

This season is Mister Coffey's fourth as a novice chaser and what a story it would be if he was to finally break his duck over fences in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase on Wednesday.

Mister Coffey15:20 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: Nicky Henderson

'He's fantastic! You'd think he was going for the Arkle'

Speaking on the Racing Post's Unibet Cheltenham Preview, Nicky Henderson said about Mister Coffey . . .

"He's fantastic! He flew around Kempton [during a racecourse gallop] the other day, he looked more likely to win the Arkle last Tuesday than he is ever likely to win a three-and-a-half-mile race.

"Everybody says 'why don't you find him a nice easy race?' but rated 143, where is this nice easy race?"

When asked about why he thinks Mister Coffey has had such a long losing run, Henderson said: "I'm still convinced that when he ran that wonderful race in the Grand National, where he led from the Canal Turn down to the last, that was some performance and he didn't quite get home after doing too much in the race, but it was a joy to watch. But I just felt he had put every inch of his body into that, and they take time to get over it.

"We nearly retired him last season and Lady Bamford [owner] was quite keen to have him home. She said to me 'haven't we done enough, Nicky?' and I said 'please, can we just have one more go?' The two ideas I had were to go hunter chasing or for the cross-country and we took him to Cheltenham and Nico [de Boinville] absolutely loved him.

"On his first run, we dropped him right out back to educate him and he flew home, so we came back again for a second one, where he overraced a tiny bit, which is not the way to get home, so we know he'll be raced in mid-division.

"He really hasn't been better, he's loved this whole game. We've been playing inside his head since the beginning of this season and he jumped some fences the other day and you'd think he was going for the Arkle.

"This is the one horse I'm looking forward to – and I'm looking forward to a lot."

Watch the Unibet Cheltenham Festival Preview Show

'If Nico pulls this rabbit out of the hat it would be one of his greatest achievements'

Deputy Ireland editor David Jennings on his love affair with Mister Coffey

Let's rewind to the Christmas of 2019 and Challow Hurdle day at Newbury. Thyme Hill won the feature race, but a few hours earlier a fine specimen of a four-year-old won an introductory hurdle. It was love at first sight. His name? Mister Coffey.

"He's a lovely horse and he's going to be a spectacular horse," was Nicky Henderson's post-race quote after that emphatic disposal of Shakem Up'Arry. I felt the same and thought he was going to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle that season. He didn't even run.

When he won a handicap hurdle at Sandown in November 2020, he looked top notch once again. I thought he was going to win the following season's Arkle. He didn't make it there either.

Would you believe it is now more than four years since Mister Coffey won a race of any sort. FOUR YEARS!

Wouldn't it be lovely if he could end that drought next week, but it would also be lovely if there was no poverty in the world and everybody got along. Some things are easier said than done.

It's possible that he'll win the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, but he probably won't. Winning is just not on his to-do list these days and if you back him each-way you're immediately sacrificing the win part of your bet.

I would dearly love him to win. He's a gorgeous individual and a real character, but Nico de Boinville would have needed to spend the last few weeks with Dynamo the magician for that to happen. If he pulls this rabbit out of the hat it would be up there with one of his greatest achievements in life.

You never know. Well, actually I do, unfortunately.

Who will Mister Coffey be placed behind? I don't fancy the favourite Stumptown and much prefer Galvin and Busselton, with slight preference for the former.

Mister Coffey15:20 Cheltenham

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Jky: Tnr: Nicky Henderson