Here are seven potential equine stars (and one jockey) to keep on side for the rest of the season.
Having tasted success at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, the Gloucester handler certainly knows what he’s doing when an above-average one comes along and in the shape of this promising chasing type, he looks to have another potential star of the winter game.
An impressive winner on hurdling debut at Newbury, despite his 20-1 price tag, the son of Arcadio duly followed up as the market suggested at Leicester next time and, as a result, it was decided to pitch him in to Graded company to see whether he had the requisite skills for life in the fast lane. Despite running a solid race at the Merseyside venue, the five-year-old, however, just didn’t have the pace to cope with the much sharper Mister Fisher around that relatively tight track and he had to settle for an honourable second. Stepped up in trip for what turned out to be his final start of the campaign, Bright Forecast ran an absolute blinder for ambitious connections when finishing a staying-on third in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and that tremendous performance for one so experienced should give him a solid base from which to work from in his new discipline. Set to join the chasing ranks anytime soon, this talented and likeable type will no doubt have the Festival on the radar as his ultimate target and depending on how he shapes in the early jousts over fences will determine whether he turns out to be a RSA or JLT horse.
One of last season’s top novice hurdlers made a seamless transition to chasing with a gutsy success at Carlisle on his opening gambit and he should take even higher rank throughout the remainder of the campaign. Thought not to be fully wound up by connections beforehand, it was noticeable that the son of Milan took a while to warm to his task in what turned out to be a very strongly-run affair at the Cumbrian venue, but it was good to see his stamina and determination kick in to gear when it mattered most, and he ended up just getting the better of the argument over the similarly promising Good Boy Bobby. With the pair well clear of the likes of Midnight Shadow and Global Citizen, two very useful hurdlers in their own rights, the form looks extremely solid, and having come from a background of smart Grade 1 hurdles towards the end of last season, he has all the hallmarks of being an even better chaser.
Winner of last season’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the son of Court Cave will hopefully go on and make the grade over fences as he has all the right qualities to go to the very top. The way he stayed on up the hill at Prestbury Park in March showed he had courage and stamina in equal measures and with those in behind him that day going on to endorse the form subsequently, it’s safe to say that last year’s renewal of the 2m4f Grade 1 for novices’ was of a very high standard. Disappointing for some reason at the Punchestown Festival on his final start of the season, hopefully the six-year-old will return to his very best form when seen in his new discipline and if the reports of his early schooling sessions are to be believed, he should be getting back on track sooner rather than later.
Winner of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran last February, connections decided to bypass all the big festivals towards the end of the season and that decision may turn out to be a very shrewd move come this campaign. Having just one more run, which came over fences, the Konig Turf gelding did extremely well to beat the useful Cadmium over a trip short of his best and with the winner going on to boost the form when landing the Topham Chase over the National fences at Aintree, his performance at the Co Meath track gained even more credence. Clearly smart under both disciplines, it’ll be interesting to see what route connections choose for this exciting and lightly-raced type, but either way, he’s one that should be kept on side for the foreseeable future and it wouldn’t come as any great surprise to see him make a trip over the Irish Sea at some point.
When the Lambourn handler speaks highly of one of his inmates, we know by now to take notice, and his opinions of one of his potential stable stars has every chance of coming true during this season. Working his way through the novice ranks via a series of relatively minor victories, the son of Gold Well was pitched in to Grade 1 company at Aintree on his final start of the campaign and he didn’t disappoint, finishing a creditable second to the top-class Champ. Indeed, had the race panned out a little more in his favour he may have obliged and considering that effort came at the end of long, hard season, he was very much the one to take out of the race going forward. Having trained the winner of the Stayers Hurdle in the shape of Cole Harden, Greatrex clearly knows a thing or two about prepared one for the big three-mile hurdle at the Festival and providing all goes to plan for this exciting five-year-old between now and March, it would be a surprise if he wasn’t lining up there one of the favourites on the day.
On more than one occasion throughout last season, this talented young horse showed an abundance of ability in northern novice hurdles and he has all the right attributes to take fairly high rank over fences, should connections decide to switch disciplines. Although he came up just short in a Grade 2 hurdle at Kelso on his penultimate start to the campaign, the way he travelled through the contest at the Borders venue pointed towards a horse with a terrific engine and that high cruising speed will always stand him in good stead once he tackles the better quality events. Still only rated 132, this strapping son of Great Pretender will almost certainly leave that mark behind sooner rather than later and he remains one of the most exciting names on the northern scene.
Arguably the most impressive winner of the opening two-day Showcase meeting at Cheltenham recently and off the back of that highly-encouraging performance, a lucrative campaign surely awaits. The way he jumped and travelled at the Prestbury Park venue was a sight to behold and it’s come as no surprise to see the handicapper seek retribution by knocking him up 12lb in the process. Clearly, the wind-op which took place in the off-season has worked the trick and providing they can keep him in one piece for the remainder of the season, he should easily be capable of landing some nice prizes along the way.
Every now and again a young pilot of some quality bursts onto the scene and carries all before them and there’s every chance that the next cab off the rank over in Ireland could be this talented Yorkshireman. Learning his craft with Richard Fahey, the up-and-coming conditional is now attached to the powerful stable of Joseph O’Brien, and if recent evidence of his skills are an accurate guide, that move could turn out to be a career-defining moment. Seen to good effect on Linger at Cork a few weeks ago, he was quick to boot home his third career success when steering Global Equity to an easy victory at Galway soon after and on each occasion, he showed good timing and power in the saddle in equal measures. Set to come in very handy when connections’ see fit to take weight off in closely-knit handicaps, young Mr Brown will be an able deputy for some of the more established names in the weighing room and he’s very much worth keeping on side for shrewd punters who are always looking to gain an edge.
