1. JUMPERS TO FOLLOW 2015 – 16
Same as anyone else whoputstheirheadabove the parapetandtellsthe world‘these are decent
racehorses – watch out forthem,’it’sa vanityexercisetoa greatextent,fuellingthe author’sego
no endwhenone doespopup at bigodds,because of course the invariable losersare easily
forgotten.
Nonetheless,itdoesforce one tocloselyexamine the formfromlastseasonandtothinkabout
targetsand optimumconditionsforanythingselectedforsucha list.PersonallyIalsolike toattempt
to buildinsome value byignoring‘obvious’horsesfromthe biggeststables,sowhilstthe odd
Henderson,MullinsandNichollsinmate maycreepin,hopefullythey’llhave alow enoughprofile
initiallytomake themwortha secondglance inthe market.
The selectionsall have the followingcriteriabehindthem, whichIhope the readerwill regardas
positives:
 Theyare all young:None isovereightyearsof age andall are relativelyunexposedintheir
chosendiscipline,hopefullywith(plentyof) improvementtocome.Atthe veryleastIwould
expectanet increase inthe handicapmarksof the 22 selectionsinthislist
 Theyhave all run quickly: Icompose speedfiguresformostrace meetingsinthe UKand
Ireland.Atsome pointeveryone of the selectionsonthislisthasputup a ‘fasterthanrace
class’time andin some cases,the selectionhasputupseveral suchfigures
 Theyare all winners:Crucial thatan animal knowswhere the winningpostisandhasthe
guts andresolutiontostick itsneckout at the businessendof a race
 In myjudgementtheyare withatrainerwhocan maximise the potentialof the horse be it
withcannyplacementinraces,preparingthe horse togive itsbestor puttingitin the hands
of the rightjockey when‘expected’ (hopefullyall three).
 Finally,the selectionsare the endresultof anX-Factor-like whittlingprocessthatstarted
withmyproducinga listof over150 horsesof potential interestbasedonthe ratingof every
race of the core (Octoberto May) jumpsseason2014-15. Some of these horseswere
discardeddue tonot hittingthe criteriaoutlinedabove.Somewere putintomytracking
database butdid notmake the final listfora varietyof reasons(the chief one beingthey
were tooobvious).Some were injuredandsome were patently‘summer’horsesunlikelyto
be runningoverthe nextfewmonths.
These are what were left…..
AFTER EIGHT SIVOLA
5-y-o gelding,NickWilliams,LarkhillsRacing Partnership
The fittingof a hood workedthe oracle atthe endof last seasonwhenthe horse ranout a ready
winneratWincantonina 2 mile handicaphurdle andagaininOctoberwhenwinningatFontwell
overfurther,bothwinsbeingmarkedbyslickhurdling,whichhe hadn’tshowninhislargely
disappointingcareertodate.However,he remainsunexposedandisversatile asregardsgroundand
probablytrip(stamina-packedpedigree).Seemstogoparticularlywell freshandforLizzie Kellyand
can probablymake hispresence feltinupto0-135 handicaphurdle company,providingthe hood
continuestowork

2. ANIBALE FLY
5-y-o gelding,AJ Martin (IRE), JP McManus
Two-from-three inbumpersinIrelandontestingground,mostimpressive of whichwasat
Fairyhouse onIrishNational Day,travellingwell andthenknucklingdowntogo awayfrom the
Mullins-trained2nd
at the finish.Priortothathad shownhe has a great engine,gallopinghisfield
intosubmissionatNavan.A stepup intripwill notinconvenience thisrobustly-bredgelding,who
has the rightconnectionstotake top orderamong thisseason’snovice hurdlers.
ARCHIVE
5-y-o gelding,EoinGriffin(IRE),GigginstownStud
FifthinAintree ChampionBumper(renewal lookswell uptoscratch withseveral winnersalready),
thenwas fourthoutof 23 at Punchestownonhurdlesdebut,againinaveryhot race (SANDYMOUNT
DUKE gone onto win4 more races and achieve 138+ RPR).Real breakthroughcame on seasonal
debut,where he gotthe betterof a protracted duel withfavouriteDISKOina2 m Novice Hurdle at
Galway,markinghimdownas a resolute fighter.The time wasquickandthe two pulled30lengths
clearof theirfield.Probablyathisbestonautumnor springground,possiblyexpectone more run
and thenbe put awayfor the Festival seasonin2016.
CATCHING ON
7-y-o gelding,JonjoO’Neil,MrsGay Smith
Milanseemstobe the ‘go to’sire if it’sstayingchasersyou’re tryingtobreedand here isanother
youngunexposedtype,likelytobe plyinghistrade invariousNationalsandlong-distance chases
overthe comingyears.Put upeye-catchingperformances,jumpinghisopponentssillyatHuntingdon
and ExeterinFebruaryandMarch thisyear,he was thenhighlytriedinthe MidlandsandScottish
Nationals,fallingearlyandfinishingarespectablefifthin these.Whilstthe stepupinclassmay have
come too earlyforhim,it may alsobe he didn’thave the servicesof the under-ratedWayne
Hutchinsoninthe plate forthose final tworunsof lastseason. Startingthe seasonon139, that’sa
workable markandhe hasthe trainerto exploit this,whenthe mudisflying –andHutchinsonis
available.
CENTASIA
8-y-o mare,Warren Greatrex,RS Brookhouse
Unexposed,despiteherage,havinghada couple of long-ishcareerbreaks.Hopefullyanyproblems
are behindhernowandshe can knuckle downtoa full seasonoverfences,the discipline she hasthe
physique andpedigree for.Seemstowantsoftgroundand at least2m 4f it’sworthnotingthat she
has come infor significantmarketsupportonall of herfourwinsto date,nevergoingoff at greater
than 2/1 andattracting significanton-course andmorningsupport.Rated132 overhurdles,she can
betterthatover fences.
FREE EXPRESSION
6-y-o gelding,GordonElliot,JPMcManus
Notover-burdenedinhisnovice hurdlingseasonlastyearrunningthree timesandwinningtwice,
includingaGroup 2 race at Naasin November2014where he justifiedfavouritisminamuddling

3. race, despite showingdefinitesignsof greennessanddossingwhenhittingthe front. Endeda
curtailedseasonwhenthirdinaGroup 1 Novice Hurdle againover2m4f at Naas inJanuary,the
phrase ‘anythinghe didoverhurdleswasabonus’couldhave beentrademarkedforthisguy,who,
havingwonhispoint-to-point,now looksanexcitingchasingprospectover2.5 - 3 miles
GLINGERBURN
7-y-o gelding,NickyRichards, JamesWestoll
Blottedhiscopybookwithatired-lookingfourthinthe Elite NovicesHurdle atAintree,when7/4
favourite andhighest-ratedhorse inthe race (off 152). One of those thingsandperhapstheywere
justbetterhorsesonthe day, withseveral subsequentwinnersincludingthe excitingCYRIUSDARIUS
(off forthisseason) comingoutof thisrace. Whatever,upto thenithad beena tale of successover
hurdlesondecentgroundovertwomile trips,where he rattledupastringof impressive,fast-time
victories. Withjustsevencareerstarts,the horse remainsone of greatpotential onthe Northern
circuit,withfencesnowanoption.
IMADA
5-y-o Gelding,NickyRichards,Kenny Haughey & Laura Sabiani
The north of Englandhashad a thintime of itin recentyears.BallabriggsGrandNational winwasa
while ago.FerdyMurphyhas shutup shopand whilstMalcolmJeffersonhastobe respectedwhen
he tiltsat a bigprize,it’salong wayfrom the daysof One Man and Jodami.Whilstitwouldbe wrong
to hype thisfellow intothatcompanyyet, he looksanexcitingNovice Hurdler,havingannounced
himself withaveryimpressivebumperwinatAyrlastNovember.Third,attemptingtodefyapenalty
at KelsoinMarch, behindadecentyardstickinBig River,he wentintomanynotebooksonhis
seasonal re-appearanceatthe endof Octoberback at Ayr,quickeningreadilywhenBrianHarding
flickedthe reinsathimtwoout. He seemstolike goodgroundsocouldbe put away duringthe
worstof the winterbutwatch outfor himon springground,whenhe can defyapenaltybefore
tacklingtougherassignments,maybe backatAyr inthe ScottishGrand National meeting?
IT’S A CLOSE CALL
6-y-o gelding,Paul Nicholls, CG Roach
Needsgoodground(wononthree startswith‘good’inthe goingdescriptionandlostonthe only
othertime he’sraces,on heavygroundat Wincanton) sodon’texpecttosee himoutuntil the spring
– or at least,givinghisbestuntil then.Connectionshave wastednotime inputtinghimoverfences
afterjustthree runs overhurdlesandtheirdecisionwasrewarded,albeitsomewhatluckily,cashing
inon Beastof Burden’sfall whenleadingina3m Novice Chase atChepstow inOctober.,He achieved
a RPR of 138+ as a resultandexpecthimto improve onthatgivenhistrainerandthe horsesmassive
scope for improvement. RSA Chase?
KALANE
6-y-o mare,Charlie Longsdon, Paul Murphy.
Won the verycompetitive EBFMaresNovicesHurdle Handicapover2m5f at NewburyinMarch and
provedthiswasno fluke whenatakingthird,albeitalongwaybehindAnnie Poweratthe
PunchestownFestival,whensteppinguptoGroup One level.Thatwasprobablyaimingabittoo high

4. althoughthe prize money she wonthere wasn’tshabbyandshe still hasjuice inherhandicapmark
over2 milesongoodground,as well asthe optionformaresonlyraces
KILCREA VALE
5-y-o gelding,NickyHenderson,AD Spence
Sometimesit’ssimplystupidtoignore the plainobviousandwhilstone isunlikelytogeta goodprice
aboutthishorse,one demolitionjobinaMarket Rasennovice hurdle inJanuary,before beingput
away tostrengthenupstill further,makesthisone animperative forany‘ToFollow’list.Boughtby
HighflyerBloodstockafterwinninganIrishpoint(whichisworkingoutwell) andsenttoNicky
Hendersonhe iswiththe rightman to make the mostof hisundoubtedtalents,expecttosee him
hooverupsome decent2-mile handicaphurdlesandwhoknows,ontosomethingmore rarefiednext
spring?
KITTEN ROCK
5-y-o gelding,Edward O’Grady,JP McManus
There wasno shame inbeingslammedby Faugheeninthe ChampionHurdle;hisprice of 28/1 said
everythingaboutthe qualityof oppositionandstiffnessof the taskfacinghimlastMarch. However
priorto that, he had put upa stringof solidGroup2 & 3 winsinfast timesinIreland,beatingdecent
yardstickssuchas GlensMelodyandMax Dynamite inthe process. Fencescouldbe onthe agenda
thisseasonandhis cannytrainerwill soonknow if he hasa potential Arklecandidate onhishandsor
whetherit’saquestionof steppinghimupintripoverhurdlesanddothe ‘Limestone Lad’thing,
attemptingtohooveruptop-classstayinghurdlesonmid-wintergroundinIreland.
KNOCKANRAWLEY
7-y-o gelding,KimBailey,Kim BaileyRacing Partnership
KimBaileyhashad a longroad back to the bigtime,since the daysof Mr Frisk,Master Oats and
Alderbrook,However,thankstothe likesof HarryTopperandCheltenhamFestival winner,Darna,he
isdoingthe businessatracing’stop table once more and hasacquiredbetterhorsesforthisseason,
includingsome of the Rooney’shorsesfromDonaldMcCain.Excitingtimesthenforthe
Andoversfordsetupandinthisstrappinggrey,theyhave a young,unexposedstayingchasertogo to
battle withwhenthe mudisflying. Almostcertainlycapable of hittingahandicapmarkin the high
140’s overfences, withhisnever-say-die attitude alsoaplus-point,expectacouple of well-thought-
out paydaysinvaluable 3m-plushandicapchasesfromhimthisseason.
MILANSBAR
8-y-o gelding,Neil King,RobertBothway
‘Theynevercome back!’Or do they?Racedonce betweenJanuary2012 andDecember2014, but
made up forlost time withsome emphaticvictoriesandtakingperformancesindefeatoverstaying
tripson poor groundlastseason, goingup32 lbsas a result.Fencesnow beckonandwithonly10
runs underhisbelt,he still hasimprovementinhim, evenasaneightyearold.Hisbracing careerand
pedigree screams‘staminatest’withThe National HuntChase therefore apossible longtermtarget
and if we everdidgeta softgroundFestival,he’dbe rightinthe mix forthatevent.

5. MISTER MIYAGI
6-y-o gelding,Dan Skelton,BenTurner & Jay Tabb
Won a MaidenHurdle at Cheltenham’sOctobermeetinginpleasingstyle (firstpair20 lengthsclear
of third) ina fieldcontainingacouple of well-fanciedtypesfromNickyHendersonandPhilipHobbs’
yards.Priorto this hadcaught the eye winninga bumperat Stratfordina race run at a decentlick.
Looksto needdecentground(tiredbadlyononlytryon heavyground),butshouldgetahandicap
hurdle ratingof around130, whichopensupopportunitiesforhiminthatarena at the minimum
trip.
ROCK THE WORLD
7-y-o gelding,JessicaHarrington, Michael Buckley
JessicaHarringtonknowsathingor twoabouttraining2 mile chasersandthiscouldbe anotherinat
leastthe Space Trucker mould,if not (yet) Moscow Flyer.Slickandeconomical athisfences, he
needsgoodground,sodon’texpecttosee himgivingof hisbestuntil the spring,buthiswinat
Galwayin Septemberhasbeenheavilybackedbythe uber-impressive runnerupTHE GAME
CHANGER.He thencame outand wonat Cheltenham’sOctobermeetingin a2 mile novice chase so
eventhoughthatwas onlya three-runneraffair,he clearlyactsatHQ, whichisno bad thingwith
nextMarch andthe Arkle possiblyonthe agenda.
ROGUE TRADER
6-y-o gelding,TomTaffe, Mrs John Magnier
Seemstohave the worldat hishooves goingintothisseason.Ona veryworkable handicapmark,
unexposedoverhurdlesstill,especiallyatthe kindof stayingtripshe wasbredfor and withthe
optionof goingnovice chasing,whichiswhere hisfuture surelylies.Some veryimpressivespeed
figures,three winsfromsix racecourse visitsand aneye-catching secondplace ina competitive
handicapat the PunchestownFestival tosignoff lastseason(firstthree pullingwell clear).Throw in
an ownernotnotedfor beinghappywithwinningsellersatagaff tracks andthisfellow mustrank
one of the mostexcitingnon-MullinshorsesintraininginIreland.
SLOWFOOT
7-y-o horse,Jim Best,SlowfootPartnership
Two runs,twowinsoverhurdlessofar forthis ex-Germanflatracer.Bothof these were overthe
minimumtripandbothwere on holdingground,buthavingwononupto 1m6f onthe flatand with
a stamina-ladenpedigree,you’dthinkastepupintrip wouldbringaboutevenmore improvement.
Still an‘entire’atthe time of writing,fenceswouldnotbe anoptionbut geldingmaybe.Unexposed
and withsomany optionstoelicitfurtherimprovement,he lookssetforabigseasonforhis canny
trainer.
TOTHEMOONANDBACK
7-y-o gelding,GaryMoore,Jane George & The late David George
No world-beaterbutisone fora satellite National somewhere,whenthe mudisflyinginmid-winter.
A chaserfor whomthe phrase ‘came intohisown aftergoingoverfences’will be carvedonhis
gravestone,he puttogetheragenerallyimpressivenovice chase seasonin2014-15, culminatingina

6. 24 lengthsandeaseddownslammingof (tobe fair) moderate rivalsatNewburyinMarchoff a mark
of 113. Wiselyputawayafterthat, expecttosee himsloggingitoutonMonday afternoonsover3
miles-plusroundPlumpton,Fontwell andTowcesteronheavyground – and winningafew too.
TRAFFIC FLUIDE
5-y-o gelding,GaryMoore,GallopingOn The South Downs Partnership
WhilstSire De Grugy cannot yetbe writtenoff,he’sgoingtoturn10 thisseason,butGary Moore
may have a replacementtogoto war withinthe top 2-mile chasesinthe shape of thisAsterabad
gelding.He waspitchedintoGrade One companyat Aintree inthe Maghull Novice Chase,insteadof
the Red RumHandicap,ambitionthatwasrewardedwiththirdplace,just3 ¼ lengthsbehindthe
winnerSIZINGGRANITE.Hispresence atAintree wasthoroughlyjustifiedaftertwoexuberantrounds
of jumpingatPlumptonandSandown,ondecentground,butawinon heavygroundinthe French
provinces,beforejoiningthe Moore stable indicatedhe canact on anything.He is,young,
unexposed,aslickjumper–what’snot to like atthisstage in hiscareer?
VIRTUEL D’OUDON
6-y-o gelding,DavidPipe,StephenQuinlan
Tenruns half of themendinginvictoryandthe onlyreal failureswere whenthe geldingwastried
overtoo far inthe BordersNational at Kelsoandtooshort (2m4f inheavygroundat FfosLas).When
there’scutin the groundand a three mile trip,he comesintohisownthoughbe it overhurdlesor
fencesandwhilsthe isstill anovice inthe latter,he’swonanIrishpointand it wouldbe nosurprise
to see a mark inthe low120’s exploitedbyhisconnectionsthisseason.
WHAT A MOMENT
5-y-o gelding,DavidPipe,Bryan Drew & Steve Roper
I like ahorse that finishesstronglyingruellinggroundatTowcester.Itusuallymeanstheyare tough
and genuine.Thisguydidpreciselythatinafast-time too,whentakingabumperthere inlate
January.Thisis a bumperwonbyLe Beau Bai and RedSherlockfromDavidPipe yard,so if this one
turns outas good as those twowe are on to somethinghere.Failedtosettle onhissubsequentstart
at Uttoxeterwhensentoff favourite he wasthenputaway,presumablyhavinglearnedplentyfrom
that experience andtostrengthenupfora novice hurdle campaignthisseason.