Ross Brierley’s Ten Commandments

1 Prepare to be born again

They say that every story, be it book, a film or rambling anecdote from your dad, conforms to one of six plots. I say every jumps Grade 1 conforms to only three: consolidation, chaos and rebirth, and they never repeat themselves the following year.

Take the Gold Cup, for example. Bobs Worth won the 2013 renewal in a year of consolidation, followed by the chaos of Lord Windermere and the rebirth of Coneygree. The ‘Year of Henry de Bromhead’ in 2021 was Covidly chaotic, with the consolidation of that form last year.

The likes of Galopin Des Champs, Ahoy Senor and L’Homme Presse suggest a 2023 rebirth, with the Stayers’, Ryanair and Champion Hurdle all looking ripe for a fresh winner.

Rules I’ll live by over the months to come – and they are set in stone

2 Be a stable form contrarian

The moment a trainer is reported to be ‘out of form’ in the media, be it social or traditional, we all know what happens next. BISH. Winner. BISH BASH BOSH. Big-race treble. Gordon Elliott couldn’t train a frog to hop in March but by April he was picking off Grade 1 winners with gay abandon. Paul Nicholls had the same treatment, while Nicky Henderson got his dip out of the way in January before returning with a Saturday fivefold.

If you hear the phrase ‘Are we worried about the stable form?’ uttered by anyone in the public eye, smile politely, get out your phone and immediately put all their runners in a multiple bet.

3 Follow front-runners

If the ultimate objective in racing is to pass the post before any of your rivals, why not cut right to the chase, as it were, by getting on with it from the front? Sounds simple, sure, but people still perennially underrate those who jump their rivals into submission from the get-go, especially as very few tracks punish those tactics.

Rattling home from the rear, bounding over the last and getting up on the line looks good but I’m in my late thirties now and I can’t be doing with that much excitement anymore. Give me an all-the-way success any day of the week.

4 Protect Mark Walsh at all costs

The green and gold silks of JP McManus are synonymous with many things. Champion Hurdle winners, gambles landed and the best jockeys an annual retainer can buy. When McCoy and Geragthy quit the weighing room, they left behind big boots to fill. Last year, Mark Walsh seemed to have finally worn those boots in.

Fakir D’Oudairies, Sire Du Berlais, Gentleman Du Mee, Elimay and Brazil all benefited from his jockeyship and, Any Second Now, we could see him get the credit he deserves this season.

5 Don’t try to outthink Willie Mullins

Every year without fail, punters and pundits, myself included, line up to try to outthink Willie Mullins, like end-of-pier tourists convincing themselves they definitely know which cup the ball is under despite all the evidence to the contrary.

When it comes to race targets, Mullins owns the cup, the ball and the pier too, so kill time waiting for them to be declared by having a go on the 2p machines instead and save yourself a lot of unnecessary anguish.

6 Be fluent in French

I studied Spanish at school, to a level that I would describe as ‘Muy Bien. Y Tu?’ and my lack of Gallic knowledge is clearly holding me back in finding winners in top-level jumps races. In the past five years, French-bred jumpers have won 162 British and Irish Grade 1s, compared to 171 from other jurisdictions, despite fielding almost half as many runners.

While I’d stop short of saying it’s full-on domination at the top, it’s certainly a trend, so this year I’ll be trying to battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud in the big races.

7 Don’t duck Donald

Progress is never linear. Heck, I can’t even drive into Leeds city centre without dodging roadworks and diversions, so god knows what it’s like being a top-level racehorse trainer, trying to plot a route through the season. At the end of 2011, with Ballabriggs, Overturn, Cinders And

Ashes and Peddlers Cross, Donald McCain was flying like a crow, right to the top. Unfortunately, the crow hit a lamppost or two on the way.

Until last year. With 155 winners, record prize-money and a 23 per cent strike-rate, McCain is flying, and what’s even more remarkable is that he’s won more in every month this year compared to the corresponding month last year.

You don’t have to Gingerly follow McCain this season, do it confidently.

‘If the ultimate objective in racing is to pass the post before any of your rivals, why not cut right to the chase, as it were, by getting on with it from the front? People still underrate those who jump their rivals into submission from the get-go’

8 Remember old friends

My Drogo, Ferny Hollow, Monkfish and Buzz sound like a ragtag bunch of maverick crimefighters, dragged together for one last job, but they’re actually headline names from the last jumps season who, for one reason or another, missed their scheduled engagements with glory.

Let’s hope they stay sound this winter and we can see them strut their stuff on the big stages their talent deserves.

9 Trust in Tom

Chris Gordon had his best ever year as a trainer in 2021-22 and has started this season with a bang. While his training methods deserve plenty of praise, the man in the saddle has a big part to play. Put simply, Tom Cannon is having a ball.

You could see the penny start to drop for him the season before last. Drafted in for a big ride aboard Craigneiche at Ascot for Nicky Henderson, Cannon (above) gave the handicap debutant such a confident ride you’d think he was the Seven Barrows stable jockey booting home an odds-on shot. His ability to appear unfazed by tasks great or small is clearly an asset and the likes of Gordon, Henderson and Alan King have been reaping the rewards of his maturity in the saddle.

10 Wake up to Warwick

There are a lot of good Warwicks in life. The silky smooth vocal stylings of Dionne, the acting talents of Davis and the tight, left-handed thrills of Warwick racecourse. I say a lot, I mean three, but the last of that trio is the one that I implore you to focus on this winter.

The ability to race prominently while jumping hurdles and fences at speed will serve you very well when getting to the spring festivals. Edwardstone, Corach Rambler, Marie’s Rock, Third Wind and Love Envoi had decent form at the Midlands track before going on to Cheltenham success, so keep an eye on the Kingmakers and Classic Chasers who show up there this winter.*