JUST WILLIAM: Jumpers To Follow

Hello one and all!

This is going to be the last column from me for a while, as we head into World Cup mode with the first game on Sunday. Thanks to all of you for reading and interacting with them this year – it’s a joy and a privilege to do this and I’m grateful for your time.

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It’s mid-November – which means that the jumps season is well underway – so for the last column I’ll put forward some horses to follow over the coming season. Hopefully this will be an interesting read, with a mix of names that may be more familiar than others.

Bear Ghylls (Nicky Martin)

One of the most promising novices in the 2020-2021 season, he was a highly creditable fourth in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle behind Bob Olinger, Gailliard Du Mesnil and Bravemansgame, with Does He Know just behind. He was thrown into the deep end on his chasing debut when making his chase/seasonal debut in the Colin Parker Memorial Chase, travelling well into the race and contending before a mistake at the last and a lack of race fitness told.

That was a serious run considering the circumstances and granted normal improvement in fitness and jumping, he can take high rank this season.

Deeply Superficial (Gordon Elliott)

One of those could be anything novice prospects who was a wide margin winner of a Mares’ maiden at Lingstown when beating subsequent Listed winner Mullenbeg by 10 lengths. She was well liked in the market before her hurdling debut at Galway, where she travelled beautifully before getting well on top in the closing stages. She had Grade 2 bumper runner up Law Ella behind her on that occasion to add gloss to her performance and she can take high rank in the mares novice’ division.

Make My Day (Gary Moore)

His hurdling form may not look impressive at first glance (form 723) but the fact he made his debut on Super Saturday at Newbury was eye-catching and he managed to push his 130 rated stablemate Jerrash (third in a listed race the time before) on his second start at Fontwell. He didn’t show his best there but perhaps he ran too soon and he was second in two decent flat staying handicaps before being highly tried over the summer. An opening mark of 104 could be very handy if he puts his best foot forward.

School Days Over (Fergal O’Brien)

Another horse who looks as if he’ll be best when stepped up in trip, based on his second to Gentle Slopes at Cheltenham’s November meeting when making impressive late ground but not getting close to the winner Gentle Slopes. He’d overcome trouble in running to win on his rules debut in May and looks to amongst the better prospects from a useful young crop for his trainer.

Gelino Bello (Paul Nicholls)

This is a rather obvious one, but Gelino Bello could make hay over fences this season. He found Blazing Khal too good for him twice at Cheltenham before the Lanzarote Hurdle was too sharp a test at Kempton, but he really impressed when taking the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and he’s already a winner over fences, albeit in a match at Wetherby.

Set to head towards the Coral Gold Cup meeting at Newbury, he’s 16/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and could land a few good prizes in the leadup to Cheltenham.

Get a Tonic (Dan Skelton)

Bumped heads with a couple of decent horses last season – including Mares’ Hurdle winner Marie’s Rock – before getting the better of a Gordon Elliott trained horse on the first day of Ayr’s Grand National meeting. The step upto 3 miles seemed to suit her then and 133 (only a 3lbs rise for Ayr) seems like a fair mark. Entered in the Premier Handicap Hurdle on Saturday at Haydock and could go from there.

Path D’oroux (Gavin Cromwell)

A £105,000 purchase at Cheltenham in January, he overcame considerable keenness on his debut at the Punchestown Festival when winning a decent bumper (third and fourth have won since, runner up highly rated) and he was an impressive winner on his hurdling debut at Galway in October. It remains to be seen how highly he ranks but the runner-up was sent to the Dublin Racing Festival after his six-length bumper win last season and he’s an exciting prospect who’s entered in the Royal Bond.

Pats Fancy (Rebecca Curtis)

Another who will be reasonably familiar to raiders, Pats Fancy was outclassed in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but beforehand he’d impressed hugely in two wins at Chepstow. On the first occasion, he beat Classic Chase and Cheltenham Festival runner-up Gericault Roque before slamming Festival Plate runner-up Imperial Alcazar by 11 lengths, and big staying handicap chases – especially the Welsh National – look right up his street!

Pikar (Dan Skelton)

Bumped into the graded winner Knappers Hill on debut and was finding the pace of I Like To Move It and Washington when falling at the last in a Grade 2 at Ascot. He didn’t make any impact in the Rossington Main when the ground presumably was against him but he impressed on his reappearance at Chepstow when slamming Hullnback (also on this list) at Chepstow on his return and the Skeltons could make use of his 125 rating.

Hullnback (Fergal O’Brien)

Hullnback couldn’t answer Pikar’s pace at Chepstow despite having travelled better, but he can be forgiven that considering it was his first run back from a breathing operation and it’s very possible we’ll see the best of him up in trip. That certainly looked to be the case when he was a staying on and possibly unlucky second in the Aintree Bumper, when he didn’t get a great number of gaps to go through. Third and fourth Leave Of Absence and Blow Your Wad have gone 1-2 in an Ascot hurdle since, which is encouraging for the form, and Hullnback is of interest over a longer trip with handicaps also an option.

That’s my ten for the season, but I couldn’t leave you without a bonus for the last column of the year! So here are some suggestions from others…

Flynn Goward (@flynngoward)

Scriptwriter (Milton Harris)

One horse that I have been following closely since his switch in stable has been Scriptwriter. He joined Milton Harris from AOB, moving to juvenile hurdling from racing in some top-class 2-year-old races on the flat. Reached a mark of 102 on the level, giving him a great stand point if transferring that form over hurdles.

He won an ordinary event first time up but the run to look at closely is his win in the Triumph Trial at Cheltenham on Saturday. He jumped smart enough, idling up the run in to win by a cosy few lengths. The race looks weak on paper, but when taking into account the 2nd was a drifter then well backed late, along with the 3rd who was very well backed into 11/2 from 8s, tells me he beat the right horses according to the market. To me it looked like there was plenty still in the tank, as you could see he was hanging up the straight & not doing a tap in front. M Harris does very well with these juveniles (Knight Salute last season), so I would expect Scriptwriter to be in the Triumph picture come March. He is 18/1 with us which is more than fair considering he is a bigger price than horses in the market that are yet to prove themselves this season.

Flynn Goward is Star’s head of horseracing

Steve Ryder (@SteveRyder13)

Iron Bridge (Jonjo O’Neill)

The Jonjo O’Neill trained Iron Bridge is currently unbeaten in his four career starts and he looks the type to continue progressing this season. The six-year-old won a bumper in Ireland for Damian Murphy before being purchased by the late Trevor Hemmings and transferred to Jonjo O’Neill. He then won a maiden hurdle at Ffos Las beating the well regarded Bill Baxter by 2 ½ lengths before following up at Worcester in a novice hurdle under a penalty when victorious by 22 lengths.

Iron Bridge made an impressive chasing debut at Carlisle on his handicap debut last month winning by 8 ½ lengths under a patient Jonjo O’Neill Jnr ride. The handicapper has raised him 12lbs up to a mark of 137 but he looks the type to continue improving and should be suited by a step up in trip to 3 miles later in the season.

Steve Ryder is a tipster, host and scriptwriter for Oddschecker who can also be found on their app:

https://www.oddschecker.com/tips/steve-ryder

Matt Bisogno (@MattBisogno)

Coquelicot (Anthony Honeyball)

Owned by a geegeez syndicate, she got off the mark over hurdles last season in a £10,000 mares handicap at Chepstow. Only two runs last term though, due to some health niggles that she just couldn’t fully shake off. Still loads of upside to her off her current hurdles mark having now got the hang of jumping. Only out of the first three once in eleven starts (when she was fourth). Goes to either Ascot on Saturday or Hereford next week, and ought to be one to follow.

Matt Bisogno is the owner and editor of geegeez.co.uk

https://www.geegeez.co.uk/author/admin/

Rich Williams (@FunkyAOL)

Gentleman At Arms (Stuart Edmunds)

Former flat horse, who was rated 80 when moving from Harry Dunlop in 2021. He has had 6 hurdle runs for Stuart Edmonds, winning twice & finishing runner up on 3 other occasions.

The 5yo gelding won a pair of class 4 novice hurdle over 2m 3f & 2m 4f, along with a 2nd place in the Grade 2 Leamington novice hurdle (2m 5f) at Warwick, He has also finished 2nd in a Class 1 Listed 2m 3f novice hurdle at Huntingdon & he was also runner up in the 3m Grade 1 Sefton novice hurdle at Aintree on his final start back in April.

He is rated 143. I expect this lad to win a few races & have some big entries as the season progresses, hopefully, he can pick up a Graded race or two during the season…

Rich Williams is part of the team behind the Arseonlineracing blog that contains tips, horse-to-follow lists and also Big Interviews

https://arseonlinetips.wordpress.com

Dan Harrold (@DanHarrold72)

Unexpected Party (Dan Skelton)

The Dan Skelton-trained Unexpected Party put in a real eye-catching performance to finish second behind Paul Nicholls’ three time Grade 2-winning hurdler McFabulous when the duo made their respective chasing debuts at Exeter. The seven-year-old was hampered by a loose horse and lost a good few lengths on the winner but travelled well and jumped slickly before tiring in the closing stages. He has Cheltenham form and could easily take a nice pot this season, whether it be handicaps or Graded contests.

Daniel Harrold is a journalist at ANZ Bloodstock News and his work can also be found at the Racing Post

WILLIAM KEDJANYI

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