Racing Post

✪✪✪✪✪ Kilcruit

Journey With Me

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Trainer Henry de Bromhead

Best hurdles RPR 142

Point and bumper winner who created a big impression when beating Minella Crooner on his debut at Leopardstown in December but then made a meal of winning at long oddson next time. He still went off at just 5-1 for a small-field Ballymore but was beaten and looking booked for third when falling at the last, and he then put in a really poor run when tailed off upped to 3m at Punchestown. It won’t have been the trip, though, as he looks an out-and-out grinder, and soft-ground staying novices ought to be his game. Expect more this season. 7bg

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 147 Runner-up to stablemate

Sir Gerhard in the

Champion Bumper in

2021 but made a slow start to his hurdling career, suffering defeats at odds of 1-14 and 4-9 before finally getting off the mark at Punchestown (1-5). After that he finished third in the Supreme and fourth in a Punchestown Grade 1 but was well beaten both times.

Already seven, so may not have improvement in him that others almost certainly will, and one I’d be looking to take

on until he shows some aptitude for jumping.

✪ ✪✪✪✪ McFabulous 8bg

Trainer Paul Nicholls

Best hurdles RPR 159

Solid Grade 2 performer over hurdles in the last couple of seasons without really suggesting he’d be better than that. Won for the third time at that level on his final outing last term at Sandown. Given his age it’s a bit late to go chasing, but if he takes to it he could reach a similar level.

✪✪✪✪✪ Mighty Potter 5bg

Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 151 Rannosortofracewhen pulled up in Constitution Hill’s Supreme, but either side of that won Grade 1 novice hurdles at Leopardstown and Punchestown, although the odds-on Sir Gerhard was clearly below par when only third in the latter. Still, there’s no denying this is a promising youngster, and he’s a halfbrother to useful chaser French Dynamite. One of those who looks an obvious candidate for doing better this season and a step up in trip would not hinder him at all.

✪✪✪✪✪ Minella Cocooner 6bg

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 154

Had an excellent first season over hurdles, winning his maiden at Navan and then making the step straight into Grade 1 company a successful one when scoring over 2m6f at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival. He didn’t win again but there was clearly no disgrace in running second to The Nice Guy in the Albert

Bartlett and the Punchestown equivalent. He’s by outstanding jumps sire Flemensfirth out of a mare who won in Graded company over hurdles and fences, and it will be a surprise if he doesn’t make the grade in his new job.

✪✪✪✪✪ Monmiral

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Trainer Paul Nicholls

Best hurdles RPR 152

A top-class juvenile hurdler in 2020-21 when he went unbeaten and won the Grade 1 Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree, Monmiral had a limited campaign last season, running only three times and failing to win. Well beaten in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and National Spirit at Fontwell, he probably matched his best juvenile form when second to Epatante in the Aintree Hurdle, even though he was beaten 14 lengths. However, trainer

Paul Nicholls has long said it is all about chasing for him, but didn’t want him starting so soon. Given how well schooled the Nicholls chasers tend to be, there is every chance this one will make much more of an impact this season.

✪✪✪✪✪ Quilixios 5bg

Trainer Henry de Bromhead

Best hurdles RPR 153 Similar to Monmiral in that he was a top juvenile in 2020-21, winning the Spring Juvenile Hurdle and the Triumph at Cheltenham, but ran only three times last season and was beaten every time. The winner on each occasion was Teahupoo and Quilixios got closest when beaten only half a length at Limerick in December, but either side went down by 12 lengths and 22. Pedigree doesn’t scream chaser in the same way that Monmiral’s does, but trainer Henry de Bromhead seems pretty sure he’ll make one. ✪✪✪✪✪

Silent Revolution 6bg

Trainer Paul Nicholls

Best hurdles RPR 133 Probably the least exposed in this long list, but also the one with the most improvement required to make an impact at the top level. He beat the welltouted and odds-on but ultimately disappointing Broomfield Burg on his hurdles debut at Newbury in November, after which he was sent straight to the Supreme, where he made no impression and was pulled up at 125-1. Still, he found plenty to turn over another odds-on shot (Luttrell Lad) on his final start at Chepstow in April and he is bred to be a better chaser. Interesting in handicaps as he’ll end up a good deal better than his official mark of 136.

✪✪✪✪✪ Sir Gerhard 7bg

Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 157 Already a dual Cheltenham

Festival winner who has won six of his eight starts, his only defeats coming at the last two Punchestown festivals. Won first three starts over hurdles and was particularly impressive at the Dublin Racing Festival before his Ballymore success, where he saw out the 2m5f well enough to see off his Leopardstown victim Three Stripe Life by three and a half lengths. Was not always the most convincing at his hurdles, though, and sire Jeremy has had plenty of decent hurdlers who have struggled in the jumping department over fences (think Reserve Tank, Mister Fisher), so we’ll have to wait and see if chasing is his game.

✪✪✪✪✪ Stage Star

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Trainer Paul Nicholls

Best hurdles RPR 145

Made a good impression when landing his first three novice hurdles and was almost as impressive as stablemate

Bravemansgame had been a year earlier when running away with the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury. However, he made no impression at all despite single-figure odds at Cheltenham and Aintree, ruining his chance by racing too keenly and being pulled up both times (the latter in a firsttime hood). He’s surely better than that, though, and should take high rank, at least in Britain, if he adapts to fences.

✪✪✪✪✪ The Nice Guy

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Trainer Willie Mullins

Best hurdles RPR 156 Became the least experienced horse to win the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last March and

that could bode well. History has shown that experience, whether in points, bumpers or over hurdles, has been key for that race and in the previous 15 years only two horses had won it with fewer than six outings under their belts.

They were Bobs Worth and Minella Indo, who both went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. To have the class to score there after just one run over hurdles (two in bumpers) suggests The Nice Guy could be a bit special, and he followed up at Punchestown afterwards too. The one question mark is his age as he’s already seven and must have had issues to get going so late, but he has to be considered really exciting all the same.

✪✪✪✪✪ THE PRICEWISE VERDICT TOM SEGAL

Sir Gerhard did really well to win the Ballymore given how keen he was on soft ground and it wouldn’t surprise me if he came back in trip for the Arkle.

Mighty Potter, who had excuses at Cheltenham and bounced back to his best at Punchestown, has a big future especially when he goes up in trip, as does Jonbon, who was not in the same league as Constitution Hill in the Supreme but beat the rest easily.

Those three look likely to stick to 2m4f or below. Stayers’ Hurdle runner-up

Thyme Hill and Albert Bartlett winner The Nice Guy head the list of those likely to be plying their trade over 3m.

Three Stripe Life 6 br g

Trainer Gordon Elliott

Best hurdles RPR 148

Fourth in the Champion Bumper to Sir Gerhard in 2021, Three Stripe Life was never out of the first three in six hurdles starts last season, and the last five were all Grade 1s. He chased home Sir Gerhard at Leopardstown and in the Ballymore before a comfortable success in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, and he may have been over the top when only third at Punchestown, although that was a deep contest for a fiverunner race (won by State Man). He’s by Ascot Gold

Cup winner Leading Light, who hasn’t had that many runners over fences yet, and could prove a star for him.

✪✪✪✪✪ Thyme Hill 8bg

Trainer Philip Hobbs

Best hurdles RPR 163

With an RPR of 163 he is one of the best hurdlers to go chasing this season, but the worry is whether it’s a bit too late at the age of eight after three seasons over hurdles. Still, he won two Grade 1s and three Grade 2s in that sphere and has Cheltenham Festival form figures of 342, so he has to be respected on that score alone. Although winless last season, he showed he was still as good as ever with seconds in the Long Walk at Ascot and Stayers’ Hurdle at

Cheltenham, and if he can jump fences he’d be entitled to take high rank. ✪✪✪✪✪

Tommy’s Oscar 7bg

Trainer Ann Hamilton

Best hurdles RPR 159

One of the stories of the season last campaign as Tommy’s Oscar racked up four wins on the spin, jumping from a mark of 138 to 156. Connections then took their chance in the Champion Hurdle where he was ultimately found out for class, finishing ninth of ten. Made a fine chasing debut at Carlisle last week, giving 17lb to the in-form and more experienced Geromino. That was only a two-runner race, but it was an impressive performance at the weights nonetheless. Clearly an exciting chasing prospect for connections this season, but has a clear liking to flatter tracks so hard to see him developing into an Arkle contender. However, he could be one for Aintree should he continue to progress and there will be plenty of other targets for him earlier in the season.

✪✪✪✪✪ VERDICT

I went for a longer list this year rather than waffling on for too long about too few individuals, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve missed a few.

The only horse I’ve backed ante-post is Jonbon andIdid him for the Turners as I thought he looked like he wanted more than 2m on a couple of occasions last season.

It’s fair to say Nicky Henderson disagrees as he has nominated the Arkle, so we’ll have to wait and see, but Douvan’s brother certainly has the potential to go all the way.

He’s not that temptingly priced for either race now, though, and if I was going to have a bet on any horse right now it would be Gaillard Du Mesnil for the National Hunt Chase as we know he is already good enough over fences to win it.

Others I am most looking forward to are Three Stripe Life, Minella Cocooner, The Nice Guy and, from Britain, Monmiral, who could well prove high class this season after being deliberately held back for a year.

THE BIG JUMP OFF

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2022-10-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

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