The jumps season goes up a gear this weekend, with the first Grade 1 of the season taking place at Down Royal. In addition, there is a plethora of National Hunt racing across the United Kingdom and Ireland for jumps fans to get stuck into.

With declarations for Friday and Saturday now confirmed, I’ve looked at five standout runners this weekend, with a view to their upcoming run and what to expect for the rest of the campaign. Let’s get straight down to business, starting with a potential dark horse for the Triumph Hurdle...

Friday

Wetherby, 3pm - CHARLES DARNAY

James Owen has been banging the drum for Charles Darnay over the past few months and it wasn’t a huge shock to see punters latch onto him when this market opened, with the Planteur gelding well supported to 13/8 (from 7/2).

The form of his success on handicap debut at Lingfield in June has worked out well, with the second, third and fourth all emerging victorious since. His schooling over hurdles has reportedly gone well and connections will hope he can take high rank in the division.

In fact, Owen himself hinted in a recent stable tour that Charles Darnay could be aimed at the Triumph Hurdle, which shows the regard he is held in at home. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares here and hopefully there is a bright future ahead for him.

Down Royal, 3.45pm - MATIN MIDI ET SOIR

A hugely exciting prospect, it’ll be fascinating to see how Matin Midi Et Soir gets on over fences this season. He ran just once last term, finishing down the field at Punchestown and I can only assume he had an issue as that surely wasn’t his true running.

The Henry de Bromhead runner was well supported in the betting that day but it wasn’t to be and hopefully we see the best of him as he goes novice chasing. He gets the 9lb weight-for-age allowance here and the 2m3f trip should be no problem for him.

It’s a competitive race, with Ballyfad the one to beat on all known form, but we’re yet to see just how good Matin Midi Et Soir could be. If he makes a winning start, all avenues are open for him and you’d hope he will develop into a Grade 1 novice chaser.

Saturday

Down Royal, 1.30pm - SKERRY HILL

Whisper it quietly but I’d be confident that Skerry Hill will be running in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at some point this term. Given a quiet time of things as a bumper horse, he can flourish in the coming months as he gains experience and continues to mature.

He was babyish last season and wouldn’t have taken your eye out in either start but he was never going to be a Champion Bumper type. He is a real embryonic chaser in the making. Having said that, I still expect him to hold his own at a high level over hurdles.

Young Rebel fell short as the 8/15f at Galway earlier this month but he looks the main threat to my selection. The whispers are that Skerry Hill has been working well though and I’m expecting a big performance on Saturday afternoon.

Down Royal, 3.15pm - ROMEO COOLIO

Connections have decided to roll the dice with Romeo Coolio in the Grade 1 and I’m really looking forward to seeing how he gets on. He’s always looked like a staying chaser in the making and you can put a line through his effort at Cheltenham in March.

That performance was out of character and connections found a back issue, which has been rectified over the summer. All being well, the plan is to run in the King George VI Chase so he’ll need to win, or go close, at Down Royal on Saturday.

A decent field of seven runners will go to post but Romeo Coolio might just be the fly in the ointment. He’s unexposed over the trip and, with a clear round of jumping, we’ll see if he truly stays the distance. He could be a contender in the biggest races this term.

Ascot, 3.43pm - MESSERSCHMITT

Bought for £100,000 at the Goffs UK sale in May, Messerschmitt is the type of horse that Ben Pauling often excels with. He has some decent form in the book, with a fourth-placed finish in the Imperial Cup and third in a Listed Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown.

Given a BHA rating of 130, he’ll make his stable debut this weekend and he could be one for a nice handicap in the spring. Most of his form has come at right-handed tracks so it will be interesting to see how Pauling campaigns him over the coming months.

This is a good starting point though, and he can outrun his odds. I’ll be tracking his progress as the season goes on, with nicer ground almost certainly necessary for him. With a bit of astute planning, he could be off a nice enough mark come March/April time.