Five Irish Horses To Follow for 2025/26 – @RoadCheltenham’s Irish Squad For The Season
The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, which can only mean one thing – the jumps are back. With next week’s National Hunt meeting at Punchestown on the horizon, Irish fans will be eagerly anticipating the return of the winter horses.
Of the many, many Irish-trained horses in training, I’ve landed on five to follow ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Yes, two are trained by Willie Mullins but let’s be honest, I could have had a list of 200 trained by the Closutton master so two isn’t bad.
Hopefully these five horses will go on and enjoy fruitful campaigns this winter, and one or two might even shine in the spring – all being well. We start with Henry de Bromhead and Robcour, and a (very) dark horse for the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
TIM TOE
- 4-yo gelding, Joshua Tree x Kilbarry Rose (Doyen)
- Trainer: Henry de Bromhead
- Owners: Robcour
Tim Toe caught my eye when winning on debut for Pat Doyle at Thurles, sweeping widest of all before picking up stylishly to win going away. Had he not encountered trouble on the home bend, you could argue that he would have won more comfortably.
Snapped up by Robcour after the victory, there is some substance to the form – with Galileo Sand, third at Thurles, finishing fourth behind the well-regarded Bud Fox at the Punchestown Festival before back-to-back wins at Killarney this summer.
He is by Joshua Tree – sire of Irish Point – and out of a dam that is a half-sister to Leinster National winner Abolitionist and multiple Graded-winning mare Askanna, so he’s certainly bred to be smart.
As big as 50/1 for the Supreme, there are worse prices in the Cheltenham Festival antepost markets. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree though, so he could end up going up in trip – though visually looked a speedy type the last day.
Former trainer Pat Doyle said:
He is a very smart horse and had been showing us that the whole time. He has always been showing a lot of gears and is a very good horse.
WONDERFUL EVERYDAY
- 4-yo mare, Goliath Du Berlais x Daring Rose (Al Namix)
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Owners: Drew, Murphy, Cahill, Mangan Partnership
The dogs were barking about Wonderful Everyday for a while and she was every bit as impressive as the whispers suggested. Having said that, she went off the biggest price of the Willie Mullins runners in the race – possibly due to her jockey booking.
Given Ruth Dudfield’s inexperience in the saddle, you could hardly blame punters for looking at one of the other Closutton inmates but backers needn’t have worried. She kept her mount out of trouble and put the race to bed with ease.
Dudfield only had to judge Wonderful Everyday out to win going away and she looked a potential superstar on the eye, with many recording the performance as one of the bumper victories of the meeting.
She could be anything at this stage and I’d imagine she will be aimed at the Mares Novices Hurdle next March. Bambino Fever heads the Mullins squad – and rightly so after her bumper campaign – but Wonderful Everyday looks very smart herself.
Trainer Willie Mullins said:
This filly had been doing everything right at home but I didn’t know just how good she was.
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QUALIMITA
- 6-yo mare, Muhtathir x Fliegend (Mount Nelson)
- Trainer: Gordon Elliott
- Owners: Robcour
If you read my British horses to follow in 2025/26 column and thought Captain Bellamy was a strange choice, you’ll probably think I’m barking mad for including Qualimita – a €500,000 purchase that is still a maiden after eight runs under rules.
Rated 118 over hurdles, I’d be shocked if she’s not considerably higher than that at the end of her novice chase campaign. Plenty have questioned her attitude but maybe she’s just been crying out for a fence and I’m not willing to give up on her just yet.
If a fence helps to settle her – which it often can – then we may see the best of her in the coming months. She’s been expensive to follow but she looked the winner all over when falling at Tramore on her last start of the season.
There’s just a niggling voice in the back of my mind telling me to stick with her and I’m hoping that she can come into her own over fences. If she can get into a better rhythm over the bigger obstacles, she could put rivals to the sword as she does have an engine.
Bloodstock agent Mags O’Toole said:
We loved her, we loved her video and she came highly recommended from Colin Bowe.
SPRINGT DE LA MERE
- 6-yo gelding, No Risk At All x Springa De La Mere (Kaldounevees)
- Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
- Owners: Alymer Stud
I’m not entirely sure where he’ll pop up and win but there’s a big handicap in Springt De La Mere. We are unlikely to see the best of him until he steps up in trip and he could be one of those that Gavin Cromwell brings on slowly to peak in the spring.
He defeated classy novice hurdler Bleu De Vassy in his point-to-point at Necarne back in April 2023 and he’s been campaigned over shorter trips ever since. I have a feeling that we’ll see him step up in distance at some point this year.
His dam was a six-time winner in France, winning over a range of trips – including a 3m4f cross country race. There’s definitely stamina in the pedigree, but we are yet to see this son of No Risk At All go beyond 2m5f under rules.
With an Irish rating of 136 over fences, there are plenty of options for connections and the trainer is one of the best in the business at targeting a race. He’s certainly one that I’ll be keeping an eye on anyway.
Trainer Gavin Cromwell said:
He looked like he was going to be very smart, but he just lost his way a little bit in the middle part of his career. Hopefully, we're back on track.
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KANZLER
- 4-yo gelding, Tai Chi x Kiss Me Leng (Shirocco)
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Owners: Professor Caroline Tisdall
This fella looks speedy and I wouldn’t be overly surprised to see Kanzler blossom into a Champion Bumper type down the line. He’s by German sire Tai Chi – who’s yet to make a real splash in the National Hunt sphere but it’s very early days for him.
Bought by Harold Kirk & Willie Mullins for £165,000, he’ll run in the colours of Professor Caroline Tisdall and I’m hoping to see him line up for a bumper in late December – early January time. That’s usually when Mullins unleashes his top bumper prospects.
If you watch his point-to-point, he does look like a speedy type and he shows plenty of acceleration at a key stage to put the race to bed. I’m certainly not going to disagree with Kirk in his post-sale interview, where he mentioned ‘speed’ several times.
It wouldn’t be the usual modus operandi for Mullins to go straight over hurdles with one of his 4-yo point-to-point recruits so I expect to see Kanzler in bumpers this year. There will be plenty of contenders housed at Closutton but he’s the one for me at this stage.
Bloodstock agent Harold Kirk said:
This horse is quality, has speed and looks to have a lot of class. He’s just the type of horse I like to buy.