Liam Firkin picks out five horses to keep in your tracker for the upcoming National Hunt Season.
I’ve had a look at five horses on both sides of the Irish Sea who for various reasons I think that you wouldn’t go too far wrong by keeping them onside as we head into the 25/26 National Hunt season.
Firstly, I am focussing on the five in Britain that I think are worthy of being added to your tracker.
Bossman Jack
Dan Skelton
Winner of a bumper at Wincanton and The Skelton’s let him go off at 15/2 and he won really well on that day. He may have not shown a lot of home given there wasn’t huge market support for the five year-old gelding but he ran way above market expectations.
He won by three lengths and was green when getting to the front seemingly wandering around but winning with ease. I think there’s plenty more to come from him and would expect him to line up in a bit of a penalty kick novice hurdle before moving into listed level or winning again under a penalty before trying his luck in graded company but with a handicap mark kept in mind for something like The Imperial Cup where he’s likely to get the softer conditions he looks like he’d thrive in.
He may be best watched first time out to see how he takes to obstacles but providing that jumping isn’t a sticking point for him then I think he’s one who’s under the radar who would turn out to be a very smart horse and rack up a sequence of victories this season.
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Country Mile
Dan Skelton
Sticking with the Warwickshire trainer and a horse I was sweet on last season for handicaps but wasn’t seen after Aintree in December. If truth be told, we didn’t see an awful lot of him in that race either with fog descending across the UK and Ireland during the festive period and his performance on that day can only be left to guess work and your imagination. Clearly Dan Skelton thought enough of him to place him in that Grade 1 Formby and he’s one to keep an eye on who can win a couple of nice handicaps this season.
His performance at Cheltenham was exceptional at The December meeting when beating the Gordon Elliot trained, Wingmen by over seven lengths. He managed that victory with ease and was hard held when crossing the line as if it were an ordinary piece of work from the then five year old.
Wingmen is now rated 139, which is 2lbs higher than Country Mile and I would have him on your radar forthe likes of The Greatwood, which Skelton has won twice in recent years along with other nice handicap pots such as The William Hill Hurdle and ultimately, the County Hurdle in March.
We’ve yet to see him back on a racecourse following that run in Liverpool so you’d want to hear some positive vibes around his wellbeing but should he be sound, he’s one to follow.
Git Maker
Jamie Snowden
I’m cheating here as he’s less one to follow and more “one to back”.
He had an interrupted campaign last season and Jamie Snowden only managed to get the three runs into him after the turn of the year. The issues that caused for Git Maker is his love of soft ground which was never forthcoming once we entered 2025.
That form line from The Kim Muir still makes him one high on my agenda after he bumped into what was to be a future Gold Cup Winner in the Kim Muir of 2024 but he was the only horse in that field to give him any sort of a race and pulled eighteen lengths clear of the rest of that field.
Horses that he beat by over twenty lengths in that race are now rated higher than him on official ratings and if he finds races on soft ground off his 131 mark and returns to the form he’s previously shown then he is one on the “just keep an eye on him” list.
Jamie Snowden confirmed to me in a season preview that the aim is to get a run into him over hurdles and then it’s full steam ahead to The Welsh National as his main aim in the earlier part of the season.
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Sticktotheplan
Olly Murphy
Charlie Poste flagged this horse after a very impressive Point-to-Point run when fifteen lengths adrift of the leader before making really eye catching headway in the race but his rallying effort came to an early end when tipping up towards the business end of the race.
He’s since run in bumpers but is now two from three over hurdles which include a Listed success at Galway when winning at 22/1 and beating the well supported JP McManus horse, Vicar Street.
He’s now moved over to Britain and is in the care of Olly Murphy who as we’ve seen over the last few years, is operating an up and coming training yard and I’ve no doubt that this lad can go on to progress for his new connections.
A tilt at The Persian War is possibly on the cards but follow him as he progresses in trip and he could continue to raise a few eyebrows with more good performances in the UK.
Meetmebythesea
Ben Pauling
A really likeable horse who had three runs in 8 runner fields before going up in trip and into the hustle and bustle of a big field handicap. He equipped himself really well in that race finishing third but he will win races over the 2m4f trip this season.
He’s still only a five year-old and there’s so much more progress to come from him and I would be confident that you can follow him through the season and potentially make a bit of a mockery of his 133 rating.
Fortunately for me I will get the chance to speak with Ben Pauling on a season preview and this horse will be high on my radar to discuss with him along with any plans for the upcoming campaign.
