“I SHALL keep going forever, or for as long as they want me to keep going.”

Standing in the middle of Nicky Henderson’s stables at Lambourn, it’s easy to see why the 61-year-old has no plans whatsoever to quit the racing game.

Plum in the middle of glorious sweeping countryside, Seven Barrows is the training ground for scores of horses, many of which have carried jockeys to success on the greatest stages.

The general public had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the handler’s best-known charges yesterday, when he threw open his doors for the Lambourn Open Day.

While many local trainers in the village did the same thing, Henderson’s yard was undoubtedly one of the most popular as thousands flooded into the site under the beaming sun.

Once inside, visitors were early on confronted by Simonsig, the huge grey who gave Henderson his landmark 41st win at the Cheltenham Festival in the grade one Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle.

The likes of fellow Cheltenham victors Sprinter Sacre and Finian’s Rainbow were also present, while 2011 Gold Cup winner Long Run found himself on the receiving end of plenty of attention, as did Henderson himself.

Reflecting on his success at the Cheltenham Festival, Henderson told the Swindon Advertiser: “The highlight was the first win because once you have had one the pressure is off a bit. The second day was extraordinary, it was a bit of a blur really. It was an amazing week.

“There were a few records broken, not that they are important, it was a staggering week.

“You wanted to get that (the record) done and past with. We’ll now have a big team going to Aintree.”

Various items of memorabilia were also on sale and visitors had the chance to see the areas where the horses are put through their paces.

The open day now over, Henderson will now begin the serious task of final preparations for the Grand National, in which his charge Shakalakaboomboom is expected to run.