The 2023/24 Jumps Season is underway and we’ve got all our team to give their ’10 to follow’ for the NH season.
GG’s chief tipster Andrew Mount is the next to give his selections, which include two runners from champion trainer Paul Nicholls yard, as well as last season’s Irish Grand National winner.
BYKER (Charles Bynes)
Seven of the first eight home in last season’s Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival came from midfield or further back, so it was a huge effort by Charles Byrnes-trained BYKER to finish second by a neck after racing on the front end throughout. He could only finish fifth of the 17 runners in the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock next time but again, probably did too much too soon. He’s entered in next month’s Greatwood Handicap Hurdle and could reappear at Sligo this Friday (October 27th) before a return trip to Cheltenham.
CUTHBERT DIBBLE (Nigel Twiston-Davies)
CUTHBERT DIBBLE hacked up by 19 lengths in a soft-ground novice hurdle over the extended 2m4f trip at Leicester on February 1st and was made favourite for the EBF Final at Sandown on the strength of that effort. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ five-year-old could only finish fifth of the 16 runners but his patient running style was at a big disadvantage and his 11-length defeat was a sound effort in the circumstances. He was switched to front-running tactics when justifying 4-7 favouritism at Ffos Las next time and there should be plenty more to come this term.
ETALON (Dan Skelton)
ETALON failed to settle on his seasonal/hurdles debut last November but still finished a close-up second to Gunnery Officer in a 2m3f novice contest at Warwick and ran to a similar level of form when chasing home the now 143-rated Strong Leader at Aintree next time (2m1f). Dan Skelton’s six-year-old got off the mark in comfortable fashion over the 2m trip at Wetherby in January and built on that with a best-of-the-closers fourth in the EBF Final at Sandown in March. The extended 2m4f trip on heavy ground probably put too much emphasis on stamina and he could land a big handicap hurdle or two this term if cut back in distance. He’s currently rated 120 but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him develop into a County Hurdle contender.
FAMOUS BRIDGE (Nicky Richards)
Like Stage Star (see below), FAMOUS BRIDGE is another son of Fame And Glory, a sire whose progeny tend to improve with age. The seven-year-old didn’t reappear until January last season, having reportedly lost his action when pulled up at Perth on his final outing in the 2021/22 campaign, and looked in need of the run, finishing a modest third at Doncaster. He disappointed at Ayr next time, trailing home last of the four runners on soft ground but signed off with a pair of wins at Wetherby. If we discard his seasonal debuts, his record reads 12U1P411 (4-8) and he looks a likely improver this season.
GLOIRE D’ATHON (Sarah Humphrey)
GLOIRE D’ATHON, a bumper winner in France, added just a Cork maiden hurdle from seven runs for Henry De Bromhead but has progressed significantly since joining Sarah Humphrey and switched to fences. His first chase run for his current yard saw him romp home by ten lengths in a 2m4f novices’ handicap chase on good ground at Huntingdon and his next five runs produced four wins and a runner-up effort. He could only finish seventh of 14 in the Summer Plate at Market Rasen on his most recent outing, but the soft going was against him, and he can continue his progression granted decent going.
I AM MAXIMUS (Willie Mullins)
The Willie Mullins-trained I AM MAXIMUS improved for a test of stamina last season, doing best of those to come from off the pace when an 11-length fourth to The Real Whacker in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham festival, his first run beyond 2m5f. He bettered that performance when taking the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse next time, despite jumping out to his left on the right-handed track, and he should have even more to offer when racing left-handed this term.
MOON HUNTER (Henry Daly)
Point-to-point winner MOON HUNTER scored comfortably in a good-ground novices’ hurdle at Wetherby in mid-November on his debut for Henry Daly and followed up on similar going at Doncaster 47 days later. After that win his trainer, quoted in the Racing Post, said ‘Winning at Wetherby took a lot more out of Moon Hunter than I thought, he lost 27kg, and he’d barely had a race. That’s a lot to lose in an easy race and it surprised me’. More surprisingly, the six-year-old was asked to run on heavy ground just 16 days later in the Grade 2 Ballymore Leamington Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick. Perhaps the prize money was too tempting, but it was still an odd move to take in that race and he was always struggling before pulling up after three out. His jockey reported that he was ‘never travelling’ and his trainer said he would ‘prefer a quicker surface’. He was freshened up by a two-month break prior to his good-ground second to Henry’s Friend at Doncaster in March and would have found underfoot conditions slower than ideal when 14th of 22 in a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Aintree on his final outing. He should be a different proposition when switched to fences and could make his debut over the larger obstacles in the 3.20 at Cheltenham on Friday (October 27th).
MORODER (Seamus Mullins)
Seamus Mullins is a trainer I’ve got a lot of time for, and his horses still tend to go under the radar. MORODER is a case in point – the nine-year-old caused an 18-1 upset when getting the better of Undersupervision by a neck in the Grimthorpe Handicap Chase (pair clear) in March, recording a fast time in the process. The trainer’s rep could offer no explanation for the apparent improvement in form but perhaps it was down to the size of the field – his record in fields of seven or fewer runners reads 12P111111 (7-9) for a profit of £36.33 to a £1 level stake at SP. He’s 0-10 in larger line-ups, though did finish a 16-1 second of 16 to Kitty’s Light in the bet365 Gold Cup on his final 2022/23 outing. He could be out at Wincanton this Sunday (October 29th) though his seasonal debut record of 23P6P (0-5) suggests we should proceed with caution, even if the race cuts up sufficiently.
STAGE STAR (Paul Nicholls)
STAGE STAR didn’t get the credit he deserved for landing the Turners Novices’ Chase at last season’s Cheltenham festival, as the track was massively favouring his forcing style, he was chased home by a 40-1 shot and many observers felt that odds-on favourite Mighty Potter (four lengths back in third) would have won had he not being ridden with restraint (he also lost a shoe). Paul Nicholls’ seven-year-old son of Fame And Glory trailed home last when 6-4 favourite for the Manifesto Chase at Aintree on his sole subsequent outing but that run came close enough to Cheltenham and it’s also worth remembering that he was beaten at the Aintree festival in 2021 (third) and in 2022 (pulled up). The most interesting angle concerns his breeding – jumps progeny of Fame And Glory tend to improve with age and we could back the sire’s eight-year-olds and nine-year-olds (his oldest crop) blind and make a profit. He could develop into a Ryanair horse this year.
THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE (Paul Nicholls)
The Paul Nicholls-trained THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE was one of my ten-to-follow last season in the hope/expectation that he would be given the chance to race on a right-handed track. His four runs when racing clockwise have returned form figures of 1111 (4-4) and he jumped noticeably out to his right when a respectable 14-1 sixth to L’Homme Presse in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the 2022 Cheltenham festival. However, he was campaigned exclusively on left-handed tracks last season, failing to score in four attempts. He signed off with a useful 16-1 fourth of 18 in the Scottish National at Ayr and perhaps the summer wind operation can help him return to winning ways in the near future.
Andrew’s 10 To Follow
- BYKER (Charles Byrnes)
- CUTHBERT DIBBLE (Nigel Twiston-Davies)
- ETALON (Dan Skelton)
- FAMOUS BRIDGE (Nicky Richards)
- GLOIRE D’ATHON (Sarah Humphrey)
- I AM MAXIMUS (Willie Mullins)
- MOON HUNTER (Henry Daly)
- MORODER (Seamus Mullins)
- STAGE STAR (Paul Nicholls)
- THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE (Paul Nicholls)
Check out all our other tipsters ’10 To Follow’ for the 23/24 Jumps season here:
- Dave Young (Cheltmental) 10 To Follow
- Matt Sutcliffe’s 10 To Follow
- Tom Aldridge’s 10 To Follow
- Jake Russell’s 10 To Follow
- Dan Corbally’s 10 To Follow
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