What follows is as ever a very personal look back at another national hunt season. The emphasis is on the horses from the Russellform list to follow.
Slowly away
If there was something remarkable about the start of the 2003/2004 jumps season, it was its slow start. The arid autumn meant firm ground, small fields and reluctance by trainers to risk their better horses. As a consequence I had to wait until October 18th before Flame Creek became the first winner from the list, a facile victory in a 3 runner novice chase at Kelso at 2/11. Flame Creek's jumping was a bit chancy and he did not run over fences again, reverting to hurdles. His best run was at Leopardstown at Christmas when he was 3rd in the Grade 1 Festival Hurdle with Rhinestone Cowboy and Hardy Eustace further back. In fact, Flame Creek would probably have been second had Seamus Durack not eased him close home.
Multi winners
As usual we had a few multiple winners. The most prolific of these was the northern trained Our Armageddon, winner of 6 of his 10 starts. After victories at Kelso, Ayr, Ascot and Wetherby, he won a £20,000+ novice chase at Haydock in January, with 3 other list horses, Full Irish, Valleymore and Kalca Mome filling the minor positions. He gave a typically impressive jumping display that day, but his best win of the season came in the Cheltenham Festival. Having been pulled up in the Arkle on the Tuesday, he came out again to win the Cathcart Grade 2 chase on the Thursday. He seems best at around 2 and a half miles and he likes to force the pace. Although 3 of his wins were at odds on, he started at 9/1 in the Cathcart. Richard McGrath rode him in all the winning runs.
Four horses scored 4 victories each. These were Thisthatandtother, Kalca Mome, Diamont Noir and Paddy the Piper.
At the start of the season Paul Nicholl's Thisthatandtother was compared to the previous years champion novice, Azertyuiop. Although winning 4 times, including Grade 2 events at Cheltenham and Sandown, Thisthatandtother didn't quite scale the heights of his predecessor. He was made favourite for the Arkle but uncharacteristically made a bad mistake at the first before falling at the 2nd. He went on to finish a creditable 2nd to Well Chief in a Grade 1 novice at Aintree. From a profit point of view we didn't make much out of this one as he was odds on each time he won. Just a thought about him, his best performances seem to come in small fields.
Kalca Mome (I always having trouble spelling that) gave us 4 wins from 8 runs at odds of 2/1, 9/2, 4/9 and 8/13, with novice chase wins at Newton Abbot, Hereford, Haydock and Sandown. Not a world beater, he had his limitations exposed by Thiswhatandtother at Wincanton, but a game performer who gave us a profit.
Diamont Noir, another former bumper winner proved a most progressive hurdler winning 4 times at 11/8, 8/15, 7/4 and 5/6. The best win came in a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Doncaster over an extended 3 miles on testing ground. This mare obviously stays particularly well. She has also won twice at Towcester, always an indication of a horse’s stamina. Her owner Dominic Burke is also a breeder, so the Grade 2 win is great for him as it gives her some black type.
Lenny Lungo was upbeat about Paddy The Piper in pre season stable interviews and his confidence proved well founded. He had been fairly useful in bumpers the season before and went through 2003/4 unbeaten over hurdles. The best win was in a competitive Grade 2 event at Kelso in March when he accounted for another useful novice in Steppes of Gold. Decent flat handicappers Chivalry and Collier Hill were 4th and 7th respectively. At 5/1, this was also Paddy The Piper's best price.
Moving on to the horses with 3 wins, there were 12 in this category. Historically I have not had much luck with Martin Pipe's horses. One exception was Control Man who won for me at odds of 8/1, 9/4 and 4/5. His best win came in the 16 runner Grade 3 EBF Sunderland's NH novice hurdle at Sandown beating Eric's Charm 2.5 lengths. He jumped badly to the left that day at the last and is probably a tricky ride. Overall, I had a successful Cheltenham. One of my festival winners was Fork Lightning. Alan King's grey won 3 out of 6 starts during the season. He ran well when just held in 2nd place by another lister, Lord Sam at Kempton, but his best victory was in the William Hill National Hunt Steeplechase at Cheltenham when he beat Shardam into second place at the rewarding price of 7/1.
Mister McGoldrick made an excellent profit for me winning 4 times at 100/30, 5/2, 4/6 and 9/2. Sue Smith's charge "warmed up" by winning a handicap hurdle at Wetherby before embarking on a very creditable novice chasing campaign. Things didn't exactly get off to a flying start as he was a first fence faller on his chase bow at Aintree in a race won by Santenay. The next run saw Mister McGoldrick back over hurdles but unplaced in the "Fighting Fifth" before a sketchy jumping display left him only third over fences at Hexham in a race won by Full Irish. Back to back wins at Wetherby and Ayr followed as his jumping improved. This was followed by some decent efforts in good company culminating in a 3rd in the Grade 1 Martell Novice Chase at Aintree in April. The season ended with mixed fortunes at the Scottish National meeting at Ayr. A win on the Friday when reversing the form with Full Irish was followed the next day by a slightly unlucky defeat when he fell 2 out when in the lead in a Grade 2 race.
Another successful novice chaser was Victor Dartnell's Lord Sam, who won all his 3 starts, although at pretty skinny odds of evens, 8/13 and 4/11. He beat Bal de Nuit 19 lengths at Huntingdon, Native Emperor at Lingfield in a Grade 2, and Fork Lightning at Kempton where only 3 finished. He was not always fluent in his jumping, but is likely to improve and hold his own in stronger company.
Staying with the novice chasers, one of the stars of the early part of the season was Strong Flow. This Over The River gelding made a tremendous impression winning 3 times. His most prestigious win was when running away with the Hennessey Gold Cup at Newbury (odds 5/1). He survived some serious jumping errors when asserting on the run-in at Kempton . A good jumper in the main but prone to the occasional blunder. He injured a knee at Kempton in December and missed the remainder of the season.
The cowboy and the student
Rhinestone Cowboy finally started to realise some of his enormous potential. At the Cheltenham Festival he missed the Champion Hurdle in favour of the Coral Cup Handicap where he shouldered top weight.
His young amateur jockey J P Magnier, a student at Dublin University, came in for plenty of criticism that day when Rhinestone Cowboy finished 3rd of 27, but left some judges with the impression he could have won if asked for an effort sooner.
"J P" silenced his critics in the best possible way a month later at Aintree giving Rhinestone Cowboy a peach of a ride to win the Grade 1 Martell Cognac hurdle, picking up impressively to beat Rooster Booster.
Earlier wins had come when giving lumps of weight away in a handicap at Haydock, and a smooth performance to take the Agfa hurdle at Sandown from the novice Garde Champetre. Just after the end of UK season he took the Champion Stayers Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival from Iris's Gift. This was a superb performance by Rhinestone Cowboy, who saw out the 3 mile trip with no trouble at all under admirably patient handling from JP Magnier.
Bold Bishop and Monet's Garden were other hurdlers who won 3 times during the season. Former bumper winner Bold Bishop made a good start to his hurdling career. He won novice hurdles easily at Market Rasen, Stratford and Sandown, odds on twice and once at evens. His best run was probably when second in a valuable handicap at Sandown in March.
Monet's Garden, a bumper winner at Ayr in 2002/3, made a very good start to his hurdling career. His wins came at Kelso, Carlisle and Perth but his best effort was when 1.5 lengths 2nd to Garde Champetre in a Grade 2 novice at Aintree. His winning prices were, 4/7, 1/1 and 4/9.
Skinny prices were a problem throughout the season, as is often the case over the jumps. Santenay was a good example winning 3 novice chases at 1/5, 13/8 and 4/7.
In recent years I have included Baracouda on the list as he had such a good hit rate and could be relied upon to make a small profit even though he won his races at very short odds. Although he won 3 times at 4/9, 2/7 and 8/11 this season the strategy didn't quite come off as he was beaten by Iris's Gift in the Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham. He remains a wonderfully consistent horse and surely must rank as one of the all time greats.
Hey big spender
One of the talking points of the season was the big spending owner, Graham Wylie, a sort of Abramovic of the racing world. His most expensive purchase was Royal Rosa. This chestnut gelding had looked a nice prospect when trained by Nicky Henderson and ended the 2002/3 season with a win at the April Punchestown festival in the bumper. After warming up with an easy win at Hexham, Royal Rosa impressed with his hurdling when a good second in a Grade 2 at Haydock behind the more experienced SH Boom. A win at Ayr was followed by success in the Red Square Vodka (Grade 2) novice hurdle at Haydock where he got the better of another bright prospect in Fundamentalist, the pair pulling well clear of the rest of the field. He finished the season by giving Iris's Gift plenty to think about when only going under to the Champion grey by 2.5 lengths in a Grade 2 event at Aintree.
Given another years development Royal Rosa could reasonably be expected to play a leading role on the 2005 Stayers Hurdle. It may be that connections will decide to send him over fences however.
Best Mate again
Once again list horses featured prominently in the Cheltenham Festival races. Best Mate ensured a place in the record books by taking the Gold Cup and completing the hat trick. He raced only 3 times during the season. When beaten fair and square by the ill fated Jair Du Cochet in the Peterborough Chase in rain softened ground in November questions were raised about his ability to retain his title. Jair Du Cochet, Kingscliffe, Keen Leader and Strong Flow were put forward as serious contenders. One by one they fell away however, and Best Mate reasserted his place at the head of the market with a thoroughly impressive win at Leopardstown on December 28. His performance in the Gold Cup itself was perhaps less emphatic than the year before, but it would be a brave man to bet against him winning the race for an historic fourth time next year.
More champions
Staying with the champions, Azertyuiop followed his win in the 2002 Arkle by running away with the Queen Mother Champion Chase at this years Festival after main rival Moscow Flyer had fallen.
A good looking gelding and a fine jumper, Azertyuiop also won the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury and was a creditable 2nd to Moscow Flyer in the Tingle Creek at Sandown. My lasting memory of Azertyuiop from last season though is his tremendous battle with another list horse, Isio, in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot. In a driving finish Azertyuiop only went down by a neck close home, conceding 19lbs to his useful rival.
I have already mentioned the French ace Baracouda. One of the highlights of the Cheltenham Festival was the clash between the French horse and the rising star, Jonjo O'Neill's grey, Iris's Gift. Nobody could deny this was a classic race. Iris's Gift (9/2) ran an absolute stormer and the way he kept finding more to deny the great Baracouda was sensational. Several good judges feel he reversed the form because he was kept fresher this year. While I agree to a certain extent with this, I feel a bigger factor was the tactics of jockey Barry Geraghty. Last year he was caught a little bit by surprise by Baracouda but this year kicked on at a vital moment and really took the finishing kick out of the French raider. It was a memorable race and one I will savour for a very long time. Iris's Gift only ran three times during the season proper. He was beaten into second place on his belated reappearance in a Haydock handicap in mid February, giving lumps of weight away all round. The winner that day was another list horse, Tardar at 16/1. Waited with, Tardar made headway early on the second circuit and came through to lead two out and went on to score tidily. A progressive sort, who had further improvement in him after only six runs over hurdles, sadly he fell fatally in his next race at Cheltenham. After the end of the season proper Iris's Gift travelled to the Punchestown Festival where he ran a bit flat and finished 2nd to a resurgent Rhinestone Cowboy.
The outsiders
I had one of my more successful Cheltenham Festivals with a number of big priced winners. These included the 33/1 success for Hardy Eustace in the Champion Hurdle. The Irish horse dictated the pace and kept finding more when challenged by the 2003 winner, Rooster Booster. Rooster Booster himself only managed 1 win from 6 runs although he was most consistent, finishing second on 4 occasions. The one win came at odds of 5/4 in the Red Square Vodka Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock in January. He was 2nd to Rhinestone Cowboy in the Martell Grade 1 Hurdle at Aintree. The biggest festival winner though was Creon at 50/1. I had this rather inconsistent sort on the list on the basis that one victory was likely to show a profit but I wasn't prepared for the theory to work out quite so well. Gradually working his way into contention in the 24 runner Pertemps Hurdle Final he stayed on strongly to lead near the line.
Two other Festival winners from my list to follow were Native Emperor and Sporazene. Native Emperor ran 6 times in all, winning twice. At Stratford, just after Christmas, Fork Lightning would certainly have beaten him but for knuckling on landing and almost getting rid of his rider at the first in the home straight. He proceeded to get the last all wrong when slightly hampered by the eventual runner up and his rider could not keep the partnership intact on this occasion. As a result Native Emperor was left with the race at his mercy after never actually looking likely to score. This win was gained at 8/13 but at Cheltenham he took the 4 mile National Hunt Chase at 5/1. Given a very patient ride, he was produced at just the right time to win going away. He was pulled up in the Scottish National on his final start but otherwise he was most consistent, with two wins and 3 seconds. Two of the seconds were behind other list horses, Lord Sam at Lingfield and Royal Emperor at Wetherby.
Paul Nicholl's grey Sporazene was having his 4th run of the season when winning the County Hurdle on the last day of the Festival at 7/1. In a race where only 5 of the 23 runners were in the handicap proper, Sporazene won despite idling markedly when hitting the front. The plan with him is to go novice chasing.
Moving away from the Cheltenham, but staying with the big priced winners, Through The Rye at 25/1, was based on the same theory as Creon. and even though only winning once on his 6 outings still showed a handsome profit. The single win came in a class C handicap hurdle at Wetherby on soft ground where he battled back to regain the lead and win off a career high mark.
Ashley Brook was an early season winner for me at 12/1, in a 16 runner novice hurdle at Exeter, beating Supreme Serenade. That was his first run of the season and he won one of his remaining 4 races, this time he was odds on when making all in a Taunton novice. He is apparently difficult to train but proved fairly useful, particularly when allowed to dominate. He looks the type to make a chaser.
The winning trail
It is always particularly satisfying to back the winner of one of those big Saturday handicaps. Inca Trail, Best Mates full brother, did the job for me in the Tote 6 handicap Hurdle at Wincanton in February at 12/1. Inca Trail will forever live in the shadow of his brother Best Mate, but he showed here that he is a talented horse in his own right on his day, which admittedly isn't very often. He doesn't seem to have taken too well to fences and this drop back to hurdles suited him, although he was well beaten in subsequent runs at Cheltenham and Aintree. One win from 5 starts and that at 12/1.
To be honest Inca Trail popped up when I least expected him to. The same could be said of Kerry Lads. Trained by Lucinda Russell, Kerry Lads was on the list as a likely winner of a handicap chase or two. He did run well in that sphere on a couple of occasions, notably when 2nd to Grey Abbey in the Scottish National at Ayr despite being 4 lbs "wrong" and when 2nd to, Mr Woodentop, in a 3 mile chase at Carlisle. His one win came at Carlisle, but in a handicap hurdle at the nice price of 10/1. The heavy ground conditions were ideal for Kerry Lads , who had rather lost his confidence over fences. Taking advantage of his 18lb lower hurdles mark, he stayed on dourly to prevail by 3 lengths.
Any horse that wins at 10/1 under the list system is likely to prove profitable and another 10/1 success was Limerick Boy. Limerick Boy, trained by Venetia Williams, has a touch of class, having twice won Group 3 races on the flat in Germany and competed in both the German and Italian Derbies. His sole win last season came in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton ridden by the excellent 5 lbs claimer Sam Thomas.
The Ballys
There were plenty of other profitable list selections during the course of the season. Both the "Ballys" did OK for me. Ballylusky gets a fair number of mentions on Channel 4 as he is owned by Jim McGrath. He won 2 of his 5 starts at odds of 13/8 and 4/1. The first of these was in a novice handicap chase at Aintree. He looked thrown in at the weights on his hurdles form, and as there are doubts about his jumping, he does not look a natural, he may have benefited by 3 fences being left out because of glare from the low sun. His jumping did let him down on his next couple of runs and his second win came when reverting to hurdles. This was in a class B handicap in heavy ground at Haydock, where incidentally, Creon was pulled up. Toby Balding's Ballyvaddy only ran 3 times but had form figures of 121, giving me wins at either end of the jumps season. He won a handicap hurdle at Kempton in October (7/2) a race he had won the year before, and a novice handicap chase at Worcester in April (2/1).
Some lesser lights
It was not just the top class horses that contributed to a successful season for the list to follow. There were plenty of unsung heroes as well. Tom George has had success from horses purchased in Poland. This year I followed Don Valentino. who was one of Poland's better three-year-olds in 2002, finishing third to Dancing Life in the Nagroda Derby. Don Valentino won twice from 5 starts at odds of 7/1 and 11/2. He made all to win a novice hurdle at Haydock with his other win coming on his handicap bow at Doncaster. The latter was a game effort under top weight when the ex Polish horse rallied to regain the lead. He also finished second at Fontwell when only collared close home.
Paul Nicholl's well bred Blue Americo didn't really live up to expectations but despite one win from 6 attempts he made a profit as the single win was at 15/2 in a novice hurdle at Taunton. Jenga was another where one win was enough. She had won both her starts in 2002/3 and according to trainer Kim Bailey she needs soft ground. She only raced 4 times last season winning a mares only handicap chase at Hereford at 6/1 on her 2nd start.
Farmer Jack and Glen Warrior had similar betting profiles to Jenga. Farmer Jack had run up a hat trick the previous season but after some niggling problems ran only 5 times last term winning the middle start at 6/1. This win in a Sandown handicap chase was easily Farmer Jack's best effort since he joined Philip Hobbs, who explained afterwards that he had come back in late, following a wind operation. Glen Warrior ran 4 times, winning one of these, a handicap hurdle at Bangor at 6/1. He went on to finish 2nd of 14 to Limerick Leader at the same track. Always considered a chasing type by trainer Julian Smithy, and since the start of the summer jumps season he has already opened his account with a win in a beginners chase at Cartmel.
Lord Maizey only ran 3 times but after finishing 4th on his reappearance he won both the other starts at 9/4 and 4/1. Both wins came in handicap chases at Chepstow. On the second of these Lord Maizey was locked in a close battle with Claymore when his rival fell at the last. Long Walk was another profitable choice, winning 2 of his 6 races for Henry Daly. In the first of these, a beginners chase at Ludlow, only 6 of the 14 starters completed, he won at 9/2, and returned to the same course to recorded his second success at 9/4 in a novice chase. He is a long horse that can be difficult to "wagon" and seems to like right handed tracks and good ground.
So often 1 win will do to show a profit and this proved true with Sue Smith's Tomenoso. This one landed a 16 runner handicap hurdle at Carlisle on his 3rd and final run of the season at odds of 5/1.
Successful chasers
Staying with Sue Smith, another profit maker was Simply Supreme who proved a smart novice chaser.
He was impressive and jumped well when winning a two finisher event at Wetherby and put in a very smart run to win the Mildmay Novices Chase at the Aintree Festival where stable companion Royal Emperor was a faller. The wins came at 5/2 and 11/2. He was a faller at the first in the Scottish National. Simply Supreme is by the stallion Supreme Leader. Another by the same sire is Supreme Prince, who also registered two wins. He was sent off odds on favourite on his seasonal debut at Exeter but his jumping was not fluent and he could only finish 2nd (Fork Lightning was 3rd). He then won two on the bounce, firstly at Chepstow (10/11) and then in a Grade 2 at Ascot just before Christmas (9/4). He rallied gamely to win here but again did not impress with his jumping. He was largely disappointing on his remaining 2 starts.
Isio has already been mentioned for his marvellous dual with Azertyuiop. He is a horse I have followed since he was featured on the Furloingtogo website when he first came over from France. He has been admirably consistent and last season had form figures of 5112. The first win was the epic encounter with Azertyuiop when winning the Victor Chandler Handicap (4/1). There were doubts about his stamina before the 2.5 mile Vodaphone Gold Cup at Newbury in March but these were quickly dispelled when having been up there all the way, he quickened to the front going to the second-last and won convincingly at 11/2. Turgeonev, Seebald and Hand Inn Hand filled the minor placings in a race worth over £61,000 to the winner. In his final run of the season Isio was far from disgraced when finishing 2nd of 7 to Moscow Flyer in the Grade 2 Melling Chase at Aintree.
Moscow Flyer started at evens that day. He had earlier won the Tingle Creek at 6/4 so, despite his fall in the Champion Chase made an overall profit.
Hand Inn Hand has featured on my list for the last 3 seasons. He is a horse with plenty of ability but is sometimes let down by his jumping. His sole win from 7 starts came in a valuable chase at Ascot on the last day of January at 15/2.
Hand Inn Hand has been prone to lapses in concentration, not helped by his reluctance to settle. This time, however, following a schooling session with Yogi Breisner on the way to the races, he settled beautifully and made no significant mistakes, although he was low at times. Apart from this win his best run was probably when just touched off by another lister Scots Grey at Kempton at the end of December. A small, but select field, and a terrific finish, Scots Grey and Hand Inn Hand repeating their novice form here virtually to the ounce, although that scenario looked unlikely when the latter cruised to the front at the fifth-last and quickly went clear. With hindsight, Hand Inn Hand had gone too soon, for he doesn't do much in front and his jumping went to pieces. Scots Grey started at 15/8 and as he only ran twice in the season was another that made me a profit. He fell heavily at Aintree in the Topham Chase on his only other run.
Rival hurdlers
Hurdlers Crystal D'Ainay and SH Boom had several close duals. Cryatal D'Ainay was very consistent with form figures reading 212134. Both wins came at Cheltenham. First, beating SH Boom by a length (evens) and then beating the future Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle (evens again). The 2nd was behind SH Boom (2/1) in the Spa Hurdle at Cheltenham where Jonjo O'Neill's runner was entitled to turn the tables on 4lbs better terms. Other decent runs came when 3rd in the Champion Hurdle and 4th behind Iris's Gift again and Royal Rosa at Aintree. Crystal d'Ainay did not have the race run to suit but he still got closer to the winner than at Cheltenham and he remains an exciting young staying prospect. SH Boom also won 3 from 6, the other win coming in a Grade 2 at Haydock (1/2) beating the exciting prospect Royal Rosa.
The French Connection
The ex French Bal De Nuit had won both his completed starts over hurdles the previous season and had form figures of 2113 over fences. He was beaten by Lord Sam at Huntingdon on his initial run. He then won at Newbury and Ascot, beating another lister, Non So, in the latter race. There appeared to be no excuses for his final defeat behind Kalca Mome at Haydock. The wins came at 1/3 and 8/11.
Liberthine defied an absence of 491 thorough injury to win his first start in England at 7/2 in a beginners chase at Stratford over 2.5 miles but failed to see out the trip on his only other outing over 25 furlongs. Another ex French horse, L'Ange au Ciel won his only start in a decent novice chase at Exeter at 6/5 but then chipped a bone and missed the remainder of the season.
The ex French gelding Mon Villez proved a profitable horse to follow, as his 3 wins came at odds of 4/6, 3/1 and 2/1 in novice hurdles. His best win came in the Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices Hurdle at Wetherby. A disappointment at Newbury on his previous start, he seemed to relish the underfoot conditions here, and although the first of the two principals to come off the bridle, he kept on really well.
More winners
Lenny Lungo's highly promising Brooklyn Breeze, unbeaten in 3 novice hurdles in 2002/3 was most impressive on his chasing debut when winning a 9 runner novice at Carlisle by 25 lengths from Simply Supreme. This was his only start and he landed the odds at 7/4. He looks sure to improve and win more races. Another promising type that only ran once was Emma Lavelle's Cloudy Grey. He made a most impressive start to his hurdling career when winning a 14 runner novice at Ascot making the running and quickening readily when shaken up after the last. He won at 100/30 but fractured a fetlock and missed the remainder of the season.
The season before, Cloudy Grey had been second to Cornish Rebel in a bumper. From a system point of view Cornish Rebel made a profit, just like his brothers Best Mate and Inca Trail. He is very lightly raced and has in fact won 3 of his 5 starts. He ran twice last season and won two of them at 4/11 and 5/2. After a win at Chepstow he won an excellent renewal of the Challow novice hurdle at Newbury after Christmas with Big Moment, Control Man and Mon Villez among his victims. On his final run of the season he trailed in last of the 8 finishers at Aintree showing signs of inexperience. He is likely to go novice chasing next season.
Coming into the new season one of my main hopes was Bourbon Manhattan, trained by Alan King. As things turned out he was rather disappointing, even though he won two of his 6 runs at 11/4 and 5/4. The future looked rosy when he won his opening race accounting for Bold Bishop by 11 lengths after the favourite Tarbolgan had fallen. He could then only finish 2nd when 2/17 favourite in the mud at Towcester and then came back lame when beaten by Lingo and Garde Champetre at Sandown. He was then 2nd when favourite at Wincanton and after jumping errors could only finish 8th in the Supreme Novices at the Festival. He retrieved his reputation a little with a win at Ayr on his final run. 2.5 miles looks like being his trip and he will be interesting over fences next season.
Another potentially bright star was Back to Ben Alder, described as a huge talent by Nicky Henderson. He only ran once as he was difficult to get fit, winning a novice hurdle at Sandown impressively (4/6). Murphy's Cardinal, trained by Noel Chance had a similar profile. Now unbeaten in 5 starts his only run this season was when justifying favouritism in a beginners chase at Plumpton. He looks an interesting prospect but his tendency to jump right could cause problems at tracks like Cheltenham and Aintree.
I always include a number of novice chasers on the list and Full Irish and Royal Emperor were a couple that registered a two wins apiece. Full Irish is only a small horse but he has done well enough for me whether it is in a bumper, hurdles or over fences. His two wins this season were gained at 2/7 and 13/8 but he was 2nd twice and in with chances when falling 4 out on his other run in a race won by Mister McGoldrick. His 2nd place efforts were both behind other list horses, Our Armageddon and Mister McGoldrick. Formerly a decent hurdler, Royal Emperor is a grand chasing type by Roselier. He ran a fine race in 2nd at Wetherby on his reappearance over hurdles at Wetherby, probably beaten by his lack of a run. He then went on to win 2 of his 5 novice chases. He fell twice but on completed starts had form figures 112. The second win came at Wetherby with Native Emperor and Silver Knight in 2nd and 3rd. He also ran a cracker to finish 2nd in the Royal and Sun Alliance Chase at the Festival.
Rosslea had a consistent season in novice chases with form figures of 12212. The defeats were all in good company behind, Therealbandit, Pizarro and Our Vic, while the wins came at Bangor (3/1) and Kempton (10/11). Rosslea was always going to be a chaser and he jumps well and stays.
One of the brightest stars looked likely to be Lord Transcend, a grey owned by Graham Wylie. He made all on his chase debut at Ayr sauntering clear to win by 17 lengths at 1/5. Unfortunately he then missed the remainder of the season after suffering a leg injury.
The young pretenders
Early in the season the challengers to Best Mates chasing crown seemed formidable. Kingscliffe had won the Foxhunters at the 2003. He opened the new season by winning a handicap at Ascot despite breaking a rein at the third fence, a superb riding performance by Andrew Thornton. He was again impressive when winning his next start at Cheltenham but then things started to go wrong. He was not fluent when 2nd of 4 finishers next time out and did not run again because of injury doubts. Many thought that Keen Leader could threaten Best Mate. He put in a good round of jumping to win the Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock from Truckers Tavern and stayed on late to finish 3rd behind Shooting Light and Irish Hussar in a Grade 2 at Newbury but he was well beaten in the Gold Cup. The French hope was Jair Du Cochet. He beat Best Mate soundly at Huntingdon and also won the Pillar Chase at Cheltenham but sadly had to be put down after a training accident.
In the event the main threat to Best Mate turned out to be Sir Rembrandt. Robert Alner's chaser has always had potential and he has now proved himself to be a top class chaser. He won the John Hughes Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow (9/4) by 8 lengths from Bindaree and then ran a close second to the same horse in the Welsh National. He ran as if something was amiss on his next 2 starts but put in a career best effort when half a length second to Best Mate in the Gold Cup.
Changing codes
Decent flat handicappers Lingo and Howle Hill were making their debuts over hurdles. Lingo had been a winner twice on the flat for Lynda Ramsden. Much was expected of him after a move to Jonjo O'Neill's yard. After a win at Naas he put in a smart run to finish 2nd at Ascot in a Grade 2 and finished his season by winning the Grade 2 Tolworth Hurdle (5/4) at Sandown beating Garde Champetre.
Howle Hill had been 2nd to Akshar in a 0-105 handicap on the flat at York. He won 2 of his first 3 starts over hurdles at Wetherby and Wincanton, failed to win in 3 subsequent efforts when upped in class but did finish 5th in the Triumph Hurdle. You wouldn't have made your fortune following either of these. The same could be said of Eric's Charm whose 3 wins came at odds on. He proved a smart novice however with his best efforts coming in defeats to Inglis Drever at Warwick and Control Man at Sandown. Former decent hurdler Non So won a couple of novice chases at Plumpton before losing out to Bal De Nuit at Ascot.
Three for their future
Three particularly promising types last season were Steppes of Gold, Very Optimistic and Our Vic. Former bumper winner Steppes of Gold won novice hurdles at Haydock and Kelso at 3/1 and 1/1 before putting in a fine effort in a Grade 2 contest at Kelso to finish second to a smart rival in Paddy the Piper, conceding 4lbs to Lenny Lungo's horse. A 5th at Aintree followed for this lightly raced chasing type. Jonjo O'Neill's Very Optimistic impressed when winning a couple of novice hurdles at Haydock before disappointing slightly when 8th in the Royal and Sun Alliance at Cheltenham. Much was expected of Our Vic who had been unbeaten the season before. He ran a fine race to finish 2nd in a handicap hurdle at Sandown under 11 stone 12, picked up a facile victory on his chase bow at Exeter and won in impressive style from Rosslea and Double Honour in the Reynoldstown Novices at Ascot. He could only finish 3rd in the Royal and Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham but remains a chaser of great potential.
I made a small profit from the Philip Hobbs trained Limerick Leader. He won his first race in September before I added him to the list and went on to win 2 of his remaining 7 starts at odds of 5/4 and 5/1. The second win was in a handicap hurdle at Bangor where he gamely rallied to get the better of Glen Warrior, another lister, on the line.
Shardam got off to a bright start for me making all to win a handicap chase at Cheltenham. Unfortunately, although putting in some decent efforts he did not win any of his remaining 6 starts. He was 4th of 11 behind Marlborough in the Racing Post Chase at Cheltenham. There was another decent effort from this thorough stayer when he finished second to Fork Lightning at the Cheltenham Festival.
A couple of late winners
The season ended with a bang as Hasty Prince and Korelo gave me a couple of decent priced winners in the last couple of days of the season. Hasty Prince won a handicap hurdle (11/4) at Chepstow on his first run of the season, but failed to notch another win in his next 6. He was highly tried and usually competed with credit, including a 2nd to Rooster Booster at Haydock. He put in a career best effort on the penultimate day of the season to lift the Concept hurdle at Sandown under a particularly astute Barry Geraghty ride at 10/1. During 2002/3 Martin Pipe's Korelo had won valuable handicap hurdles at Ascot and Sandown and all looked set fair for a successful novice chasing campaign. He didn't take to fences however and his first 8 runs of the 2003/4 season failed to yield a single win. Come the last day of the season though and back over hurdles AP McCoy cajoled his best form from him winning a handicap hurdle at Sandown at 9/1.
The next National winner?
I must mention one horse that didn't win at all. Lord Atterbury came to the Cheltenham Festival with a big reputation from the point-to-point circuit and was made 3/1 favourite for the Foxhunters. His preparation had been interrupted however and he was never travelling and his rider pulled him up after the 18th. Only 16 days later on another big stage, the Aintree Grand National, Lord Atterbury ran an absolute blinder. He was never far away and just lost out to Amberleigh House and Clan Royal in a thrilling finish at 33/1. This was a terrific run and he is obviously a chaser with a bright future.
Mr Wylie again
During the season I added a couple of ex flat horses to the that were with Sir Mark Prescott but had been purchased by Graham Wylie. Chivalry had won the Cambridgeshire, and although not the most fluent of jumpers, won 3 of his 4 starts over hurdles. Inglis Drever looked more of a natural over timber and quickly notched up 3 consecutive wins. When tackling the best he still ran with credit, finishing 2nd in the Royal and Sun Alliance where he lost a shoe, and then 4th in a Grade 2 at Aintree where arguably his pilot Graham Lee overdid the hold up tactics. The victors in those races, Fundamentalist and Garde Champetre were also featured on the my list.
Fundamentalist, a winner between the flags, only ran 3 times under rules but certainly impressed as a star of the future. He began with a win at Kempton in February where he accounted for the consistent Howrwenow. His only defeat was when running up against Royal Rosa in the Prestige Novices Hurdle at Haydock. On this occasion he ran green at the finish and just went down by half a length. Starting at 12/1 at the Cheltenham Festival he beat the favourite Inglis Drever and other battle hardened types from the flat and will be an exciting prospect when he tackles fences.
Garde Champetre, a winner in France ran with great consistency in his first season in the UK. His form figures were 212251. The seconds all came in good company in races won by Big Moment, Lingo and Rhinestone Cowboy. Narrowly beaten by Lingo at Sandown, he did remarkably well to finish fifth in the Supreme Novices at the Festival. He was outpaced down the hill and looked hopelessly placed at the second-last. He still had around a dozen in front of him over the last, but stayed on strongly. His win in a 2.5 mile Grade 2 at Aintree was deserved, beating Monet's Garden. Next season he ought to make a smart novice chaser.
Another ex flat horse to make his mark was Trouble at Bay. He won 5 of his 7 races over hurdles, disappointing on his last run when well fancied in the Triumph Hurdle.
Old friends
I always keep an eye on list horses from previous years. There were some big wins from some of my old favourites and none better than Grey Abbey. The 10 year old, now trained by Howard Johnson, but up a tremendous display to win the Scottish National under top weight of 11 stone 12 at his favourite Ayr track. He jumped well and ended up winning by a distance when his nearest rival Granit D'Estruval came down at the last. Granit D'Estruval came close to claiming a rare double as he had won the Irish equivalent at Fairyhouse. He was running from 5lb out of the handicap and scoring for the first time over fences since 2001. He had shown signs of a revival when fourth in the Tote Eider at Newcastle, and prospered here under a positive ride by Brian Harding, who sent him to the front five out and extracted a fine response when strongly challenged from the last. It was good to see Harding succeeding on Granit D'Estruval as he had been jocked off Grey Abbey when that horse changed stables.
Talking of weight carrying performances, one of the best of the season was Tyneandthyneagain who produced a magnificent performance in the Tote Eider Chase, defying top-weight as a novice, having never been out of the first two throughout. He had earlier won a listed race at Doncaster in the mud. He has had his fair share of problems over the years and it was good to see his trainer's patience rewarded. Another horse to redeem a flagging reputation was The Bajan Bandit. This gelding had looked a star in the making at one time for Lenny Lungo but had completely lost his way, being pulled up on 3 of his previous 4 starts when coming into a class B handicap hurdle at Ayr in January. Suited by the heavy conditions he proved much too good for his rivals and won well, ridden by Tony Dobbin.
Another horse to come back after a variety of problems was St Pirran. Always well thought of by Paul Nicholl's he came back from a long absence and followed up a win at Sandown by taking the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
St Pirran went on to finish 3rd at Aintree in the Martell Cognac Red Rum Handicap Chase (Class A) Grade 3with stable companion Armaturk in 2nd. Armaturk had earlier won a handicap chase at Doncaster, having been given a bit of a chance by the handicapper. He later showed his liking for a flat track with a creditable 2nd to Azertyuiop in the Game Spirit chase at Newbury.
Turgeonev had been a real money spinner in 2001/2 but as a result went up the handicap and failed to register a win in 2002/3. Tim Easterby's grey was always going to be a likely winner as he came back down the ratings however and he duly obliged at Wetherby in a handicap chase in February at 10/1. This was his 4th win from 7 starts on the Yorkshire track. A month later he excelled himself running second to Isio in the Vodaphone Gold Cup at Newbury off a mark 6 lbs higher than his highest previous winning rating.
Talking of old friends, I have followed Jaklari since his bumper days. He always looked a chaser in the making and it was the quality of his fencing that gained him 3 wins from his 6 starts. He won handicap chases at Cheltenham, Ascot and Ayr and also finished 3rd to Seebald in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham.
Who else deserves a mention? Fondmort and Seebald won a decent chase at Cheltenham each. Fondmort the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November and Seebald a Grade 2 in mid April. One of the more unlikely winners was the quirky Puntal. Coming into the "Whitbread" at the end of the season he had mixed 5 winning runs with some dismal performances where he seemed far from keen on the task. Although obviously a "bit of a monkey" he is tough and showed that he stays well in the Grand National before unseating his rider. He won the Whitbread by a short head from Royal Auclair at 25/1.
Horses coming back from longish absences through injury can often be worth close look. Two such this time were Historic and and Argent. Historic has missed the best part of 2 years but had been a smart hurdler and after a couple of "sighters" won a novice chase at Exeter in February. He later won at Huntingdon under top weight. D'Argent ran up a hat trick of wins at Warwick, the best being the last where he accounted for Tynenadthyneagain and Silver Knight.
Horses for courses
Another popular theory is the horses for courses argument. Aelred really loves Newcastle and won on both his visits to the north east track last season both times ridden by Kenny Johnson. The grey Avalanche loves Kempton and duly won a handicap at the end of February. Avalanche had a consistent season in handicap chases and also won on his last outing at Ayr.
I decided not to retain either All Sonsilver or Behaving Badly on my A list this season. The former won 2 of his 6 starts, both handicap chases at Newcastle but would not have made an overall profit. On the contrary Behaving Badly would have made a handsome profit. His first 4 runs owed more to science fiction than anything with form figures of UF0 but he showe plenty of enterprise on his 5th start winning at 25/1 in the Highland National at Perth making the most of both his stamina and a favourable mark over fences compared to his hurdles rating.
My favourite
If ever I own a horse, something along the lines of Benbyas would do me nicely. This little horse first came to my attention through a Racing Channel video of horses to follow a few years back. He is a game front runner with a great hurdling technique. I was delighted to see him notch a couple of wins in 03/04. The first was at 8/1 in heavy ground at Uttoxeter (and heavy at Uttoxeter is heavy indeed!) He also won at Haydock and even found time to squeeze in a victory on the flat in an apprentice handicap at Pontefract.
Carrie and the Gunner
I put the name of Forest Gunner in "the notebook" after reading an article by Malcolm Heyhoe a year or two ago. The horse clearly goes well for the trainer's wife, Carrie Ford and I quite fancied the partnership in the Foxhunters at the Cheltenham Festival. Forest Gunner was given an enterprising ride, he was clear a mile from six out and ran on in good style. It was a nice story too as Carrie Ford had had a baby only 10 weeks earlier.
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