Raceolly's Ten To Follow For 2023/24 National Hunt Season
Our resident tipster Raceolly has compiled his 10 National Hunt horses to follow for the 2023/24 Jumps campaign, and he's certainly picked out quite a few that could be strutting their stuff at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival in March. So, grab yourself a notebook and check out his ten to follow here...
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1. Tahmuras - Paul Nicholls
I backed Tahmuras in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after a perfect start to his hurdling career, but when the taps were turned on at the top of the hill you could see he was still a big baby. He is the cliche "whatever he did over hurdles is a bonus" horse and will no doubt come in to his own this season with another summer on his back and as a novice chaser.
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2. Foxy Girl - Henry De Bromhead
Foxy Girl won a maiden at Limerick that has thrown up plenty of winners since, before coming eighth in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last season. It wasn’t an ideal prep winning a maiden and taking a 80 day break after, but she was still sent off a fancied 13/2 shot. She never gave herself a chance, however, pulling hard throughout and tiring on the run in. That was a good effort in the circumstances though and as she matures she should learn to settle better and could be a much different proposition this season.
3. Farland - Sean Thomas Doyle
Farland was very well fancied in his only start to date, which was a bumper at the Punchestown Festival, where he ran very green after not getting much luck in running. He’s a half brother to Minella Cocooner who is a Grade 1 novice hurdle winner and could have a very interesting season with that race experience behind him and another summer on his back.
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4. Feronily - Emmet Mullins
Feronily is a point to point winner and mixed novice hurdles with novice chasing last season, but made his chase debut in a open race against seasoned Grade 1 horses where the ground would have been plenty fast enough for him finishing a superb 2nd to a 17-time winner in Bachasson. The Emmet Mullins-trained six-year-old then went to the Grade 1 novice chase at the Punchestown Festival soon after, where it once again looked a tough task taking on older horses who’d gained chasing experience throughout the season, but he put on a masterclass display of jumping from the front and looked a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup horse in the process. He would be seen to best effect on softer ground and the yard are not shy in chucking them in to the big races.
5. Western Diego - Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins threw a fair few darts at the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and plenty of them came out of it confirming they have exciting futures. The most eye-catching was Western Diego who started his career winning a point to point before easily winning his bumper over 2m 3f. Dropping back to the minimum trip at the festival was a risk, and although he clearly has an engine, he gave himself no chance of winning after pulling hard and kicking on a long way from home.
He was also very badly hampered when taken on for the lead and was brought to a near standstill, so to only be beaten 10 lengths after all that was some performance. He will be much better suited this season going hurdling and going dramatically up in trip with a bash at the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle a potential long term goal.
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6. Sonigino - Paul Nicholls
Sonigino had excuses for defeat in two big handicaps last season, including when switching tactics last time and coming from a mile back to finish a good third behind two prominently ridden rivals, pulling clear of the rest of the field at the Grand National meeting. He’ll go chasing this season and could possibly be aimed for something like the Plate Handicap Chase at the festival in March all being well.
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7. Pic D'Orhy - Paul Nicholls
This one is a little more obvious giving he won four of his five starts last season but I’m giving him a mention for my early King George VI Chase selection. Nicholls targeted the Marsh Chase for this lad last season after winning the Peterborough in December and he proved that he was top class in stopping Fakir D’Oudairies completing the hat trick. He’s two from two at Kempton and clearly acts his best on easy flat tracks like Kempton and Aintree, the latter of which will probably be the long term aim. We know Paul Nicholls loves targeting the King George and he has a whole host of horses who could line up this season but at the prices and with conditions I like Pic D’Orhy to go well.
8. Kinondo Kwetu - Sam England
Kinondo Kwetu will be more one for the better ground, but he improved bundles every run last season and showed in the Summer Cup at Uttoxeter that there is plenty more in that handicap mark of 145. He pulled away his win chance at the Grand National meeting in April but still ran a huge race to finish 3rd. He returned to Aintree in May and travelled and jumped like he was plenty better than 137, before going to Uttoxeter off 145 and his jumping totally falling apart. He made several bad mistakes and was hampered which made things hard work, but he still kept grinding away and somehow got in to 3rd, only beaten three lengths. That was a serious effort and will be a serious player this season when the ground falls right.
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9. Chemical Energy - Gordon Elliott
Chemical Energy ran a huge race in the National Hunt Chase at the festival considering he would have been inconvenienced by the rain and was nearly brought down by a faller. Mahler Mission had kicked clear at two out - a horse Chemical Energy had hammered previously - and looked to have the race sewn up when falling. That left Chemical Energy in front a long way from home and in ground he found tough the odds-on favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil just pegged him in the shadow of the post. That was a mighty effort and he looked all over a future Grand National hope on that evidence, boosted further by the winner and the 3rd both running mighty races in the Aintree showpiece last year as novices.
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10. Iroko - Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero
The fact Iroko won a Martin Pipe at the festival and then placed in a Group 1 at Aintree is pretty incredible considering the horse was bought with chasing in mind. He was only five last year, but will go novice chasing this season with a likely bash at the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase the long term goal. He ended last season over three miles and jockey Mark Walsh rode him cautiously and commented that he wished he was more aggressive after the race, but they know he stays now and a fence and another year older should see him improve further.