Jonbon can prove a class above

Paul Kealy picks a long list that goes from Cheltenham Festival winners to the more unexposed with the scope to make a mark

LOOKING back at the novice chase section in this pullout last year, it’s fair to say there was a mixed bag. A total of 22 horses were given an individual write-up and seven of those won Grade 1 novice chases during the season.

However, of the rest, five tried fences but gave up and went back over hurdles, two stayed over hurdles anyway, and two more never saw the racecourse.

As far as Cheltenham is concerned, individual mentions were given to fortunate Turners winner Bob Olinger (he was admittedly hard to miss preseason) and National Hunt Chase winner Stattler, but Arkle hero Edwardstone received only a minor mention in the ‘others to consider’ section, and the name L’Homme Presse was nowhere to be seen.

He was, of course, rated just 128 when making his chase debut in a handicap at Exeter in December, and you could spend a long while looking for horses who are going improve 3st for the switch and never get near one, so there are no apologies on that score.

This brief post-mortem, or ‘Quincy’ as I like to call it (you have to be a certain age), will hopefully serve as a reminder that at least some of our expectations for this season are going to prove wide of the mark.

Hopefully there will be a few stars among the ones who made the cut here.

Adamantly Chosen

Five-year-old bay gelding

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best chase RPR 146

Didn’t cut much ice when well fancied for the Martin Pipe last season, or the Galway Hurdle in

July, but he did run well when fourth of 24 to Camprond at Punchestown in between and connections could not have asked for much more on his chase debut at Listowel in September. It wasn’t the most competitive heat, but Adamantly Chosen jumped really well and was always travelling better than the higher-rated Grand Roi, who he beat by a comfortable eight lengths. There will be much tougher assignments to come, but on this evidence he’s going to be a lot better over fences than he was over hurdles (best RPR 140).

✪✪✪✪✪ Allegorie De Vassy

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Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 138

Won both her hurdles starts for Willie Mullins in January, having joined him from France with a 0-4 record. Despite the wayward antics of runner-up Brandy Love, she was impressive enough to leap to favouritism for the mares’ novice at Cheltenham with a Grade 3 Fairyhouse success, but unfortunately suffered a minor setback. Had put in a big jump to seal the deal at Fairyhouse and connections are evidently keen to test that athleticism over fences. Obvious candidate for top honours among her own sex assuming she stays injury-free.

✪✪✪✪✪ Aspire Tower

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Trainer Henry de Bromhead

Best hurdles RPR 160

One of the better hurdlers to go chasing despite not being taken too seriously in any ante-post markets. That’s probably because he had a couple of seasons on the Flat for Richard Hannon and Steve Gollings before finding his way to Henry de Bromhead, but he was second in the Triumph Hurdle and, last year, fourth in the Champion Hurdle as well as chasing home Sharjah in the Grade 1 Matheson over Christmas. As with all novices, much depends on how he jumps, but if he does prove fluent you can easily see his front-running style getting others in trouble.

✪✪✪✪✪ Ballygrifincottage 7bg

Trainer Dan Skelton

Best hurdles RPR 142 Ballygrifincottage won three points on the spin in May 2021 and he was thrown right in the deep end on his hurdles debut when third to Blazing Khal in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham in December. A novice success followed at Lingfield in January and he was then put away until the festival, where he was a creditable fourth to The Nice Guy in the Albert Bartlett at 28-1. The ‘whatever he does over hurdles is a bonus’ cliche was bandied around after his Lingfield win, so it’s safe to assume fences are the plan this season as he’s already seven.

✪✪✪✪✪ Blazing Khal

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Trainer Charles Byrnes

Best hurdles RPR 150

Having won just the last of his five bumpers across two seasons, Blazing Khal took off as a hurdler in the early part of last season, winning all three of his outings, with the last pair

Grade 2 Cheltenham successes over Gelino Bello at 2m5f and 3m. His impressive win over the latter distance, when increasing his margin of victory and giving 5lb to the runner-up, was enough to make him favourite for the Albert Bartlett only for him to suffer a minor injury in the new year. Plans to resume at Punchestown were also shelved, and there’s no guessing whether he will go over fences or head down the staying hurdle route, but he has to be of interest assuming his niggles are sorted.

✪✪✪✪✪ Dysart Dynamo 6bg

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 153

Went into last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle unbeaten in two bumpers and two hurdles, and had really impressed the clockwatchers with his 19-length Grade 2 victory at Punchestown in January. On the strength of that he was sent off joint-favourite with Constitution Hill for the Supreme, in which he set a strong gallop in the early stages and fell three out. Rider Paul Townend had certainly not gone for him when he came down, but he had just lost the lead to Jonbon, and it went from bad to worse at Punchestown afterwards when he trailed in a long last to Mighty Potter. There were obvious excuses for that (returned clinically abnormal according to the vet) and Dysart Dynamo remains an exciting prospect, not least with Willie Mullins having a rather good record with enthusiastic frontrunning chasers. ✪✪✪✪✪

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Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 155

Went off at 29-1 and 82-1 for his opening two hurdles in France, finishing third in the latter, but was a 2-7 chance on his debut for Willie Mullins in January and dotted up by 13 lengths. Wasn’t seen again until the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree but was well backed and went down fighting by a neck to Jonbon, with the pair 19 lengths clear of the rest, after which he closed his campaign with another straightforward novice success. Chasing is the plan and this lightly raced five-year-old looks an exciting prospect for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

✪✪✪✪✪ Fil Dor

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Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 141 Runner-up to Vauban in three consecutive Grade 1 juvenile hurdles last season, including the Triumph at Cheltenham, and has been booked for an early novice chase campaign by Gordon Elliott. The trainer mopped up some early season Graded chases with the fouryear-old filly Riviere D’Etel last season and it would not be a surprise to see Fil Dor out early to take advantage of the generous weight-for-age allowance.

✪✪✪✪✪ Flame Bearer

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Trainer Pat Doyle

Best hurdles RPR 149

Pat Doyle is used to packing off future stars to other trainers, but he oversaw an excellent first season over hurdles with Flame Bearer himself and was rewarded with his first and second Grade 2 successes, his stable star winning at that level at Naas in February and Fairyhouse in April before going on to run second to impressive County Hurdle winner State Man in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, where he had the likes of Three Stripe Life and Kilcruit behind him. A winner of five of his eight starts overall, he improved throughout the season and it won’t be a surprise if he at least matches his current level over fences.

✪✪✪✪✪ Gaillard Du Mesnil 6 gr g

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best chase RPR 161

This one is a second-season chaser as he failed to win in five starts last season, finishing third on each occasion. However, after being beaten at odds-on on his debut at Naas he was set some really big tasks and he goes into his second campaign with plenty of experience and some high-class form. Still only six, Gaillard Du Mesnil came up against Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs on his second and third starts respectively, then finished third to L’Homme Presse and Ahoy Senor in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham before humping a big weight into third in the Irish National. He carries an official mark of 156, which is 3lb higher than stablemate Stattler was rated when winning the National Hunt Chase in March, so it’s no surprise he is already favourite for what looks an obvious target.

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Trainer Paul Nicholls

Best hurdles RPR 143

No match for Blazing Khal on two occasions at Cheltenham before the turn of the year, Gelino Bello nevertheless continued to progress and developed into a very useful staying hurdler. After running fourth in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton, he sauntered to an odds-on success at Newbury and landed the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle in fair style at Aintree. With the only Irishtrained runner, Martin Pipe winner Banbridge, finishing tailed off as favourite, you could argue it was a soft Grade 1, but trainer Paul Nicholls has always had him down as a chaser and said he’d already jumped fences at home before his Aintree success. He handles a decent surface, so don’t be surprised if he lays down an early marker.

✪✪✪✪✪ Gentlemansgame

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Trainer Mouse Morris

Best hurdles RPR 156 Runner-up in a pair of Grade 1 staying hurdles as a novice, Gentlemansgame did not make a great start to his second campaign in that sphere with two heavy defeats at Leopardstown and Gowran, but after a break and a confidence-booster at Thurles in March, he was back on the up and closed a light campaign with a career-best on RPRs (156) when third to Klassical Dream in the Champion

Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown. With only four outings in each of his two seasons, he has been raced sparingly, with the longterm plan always to turn him into a staying chaser, and this six-year-old appeals as one who could make a big splash for Mouse Morris despite having to tackle all the big guns from the Elliott and Mullins yards.

✪✪✪✪✪ Gerri Colombe

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Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 139

Hasn’t taken much racing since joining Gordon Elliott after winning his point in March 2020 but showed decent form in winning two bumpers the following year and remained unbeaten after two hurdles outings in December and January last season. Was being prepared for the Albert Bartlett but didn’t show up, although the quickening ground could have been the reason. Like plenty of offspring by Saddler Maker (think Bristol De Mai) he seems to relish plenty of dig, so don’t expect to see him until we’re well into winter. He hasn’t dipped his toes into any sort of Graded level but is clearly well regarded.

✪✪✪✪✪ Goshen 6bg

Trainer Gary Moore

Best hurdles RPR 163

One of the unluckiest Cheltenham Festival losers in recent years when he unseated at the last in the 2020 Triumph, Goshen is set to embark on a chase campaign this season and has reportedly been “deadly” in his schooling. He matched his best previous form when running away with the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown last season and followed up in a four-runner Kingwell a couple of weeks later, and certainly has the talent to be a force if his jumping holds up. We won’t be seeing him at Cheltenham as it’s said he will be kept to right-handed tracks, which looks a wise move given his tendency to both jump and hang to the right.

✪✪✪✪✪ Grand Jury

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Trainer Henry de Bromhead

Best hurdles RPR 140 Produced best effort over hurdles on second start when runner-up to Ginto in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle, but was well beaten when fancied at the Dublin Racing Festival and got no further than the second when an outsider for the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham. He needs to bounce back from those efforts but he did beat Minella Cocooner quite comfortably in his sole point and there’s every chance he will be a different proposition as a chaser.

✪✪✪✪✪ Grand Roi 6bg

Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 156

Won three of his four starts for Nicky Henderson before finding his way to Gordon Elliott but has scored only once in the two seasons since. That was in a Grade 2 at Limerick in December 2020, but he has shown some smart form on other occasions too, most notably when third to Darasso in the Lismullen Hurdle in November 2021. Made his chase debut in September and was comfortably held by Adamantly Chosen, whose jumping was much the best, but it’s early days for him and he has the ability to do well. ✪✪✪✪✪

Gringo D’Aubrelle 6bg

Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 133

Point winner who won the second of his maiden hurdles (beating Adamantly Chosen) and was then not disgraced when upped to Grade 1 company and finishing third in the Challow Hurdle. However, that was a weak race for the grade and he was beaten just over ten lengths, and he fared no better when a 19-length second to Dysart Dynamo at Punchestown next time. Hasn’t been seen since and a best hurdles RPR of 133 is a long way behind some of these, but he is only lightly raced and very much bred to do better over fences.

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Trainer Noel Meade

Best hurdles RPR 138

Took his time to get the message over hurdles but improved in terms of RPR on every start and won his last two, closing his season with a Grade 3 win at Naas in March. That wasn’t a strong heat but Highland Charge, who is said to want very soft ground, is a brother to Michael

Scudamore’s Do Your Job, who was a Grade 2 novice chase winner at Ayr last season. He is also related to other winning chasers, so this slow burner could well make an impact.

✪✪✪✪✪ Hollow Games

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Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 145

Was odds-on and unbeaten in first four outings for Gordon Elliott, including a Grade 3 at Navan, but didn’t quite make the grade after that. However, he still showed plenty of promise in finishing third to Ginto in the Lawlor’s of Naas, occupying the same spot behind Minella Cocooner in another Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival and humping a big weight into third in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham. He closed with a distant and disappointing fifth to The

Nice Guy at Punchestown but can be forgiven that. It is doubtful the 3m trip was the problem as he shapes very much like a stayer and we can expect him to prove that soon enough.

✪✪✪✪✪ I Am Maximus 6bg

Trainer Nicky Henderson

Best hurdles RPR 142

Had a big reputation last season after his bumper success the previous campaign from My Drogo had worked out so well, but it’s fair to say he didn’t quite cut it at the top level. His second to Hillcrest at Cheltenham in January was decent enough, but he was found wanting when a 21-length fourth to Sir Gerhard in the Ballymore. He still showed a fair level of form, though, and his trainer reckons he will make a “fantastic” chaser this season. He doesn’t exactly have the pedigree, though (dam won as a juvenile and was a miler), so we’ll have to wait and see. ✪✪✪✪✪