Daryl Jacob: Horses to follow | Fusil Raffles to step up in trip
Our columnist and top jockey Daryl Jacob kicks off his new season for us by nominating his horses to follow in the 2021-22 National Hunt campaign.
Messire Des Obeaux
He's come back into training and I saw him at Alan King's last week. He seems in very, very good form with himself. He's done all of his roadwork and his prep for the season and we've been very happy with him since he's come back in. Obviously three miles at Wetherby last year on that sort of ground took its toll so we're not going to go three miles again this year, we'll stick to two and a half, two-five and start him off in a couple of graduation chases and see what the season brings us. You won't see him for another couple of months.
Fred
He had a little bit of an injury at the end of last year. He's come back this year really well. I worked him this morning and was very happy with him; his first piece of work. He probably won't be out for about three, three and a half weeks. We're going to go chasing with him this year and I think he could be quite exciting. He's a lovely athletic jumper and very much looking forward to hopefully having a good season with him. We might start him off over two but I think he's definitely two and a half plus.
Caribean Boy
He runs in a couple of weeks in the Grand Sefton over the big fences. First time up last year he was very, very good so we're going to try and plot a big race with him first time out last year. He lost his form after his first run last year but he had excuses and I don't think he was 100% right in some of his races but he seemed to come back and I worked him this morning and he worked very well and he seems to be in really good form.
Sceau Royal
He's one of our greats. He's been around year after year, he's won big prize after big prize and he's got a wonderful attitude, he loves his racing. Again, we're going to plot his campaign over hurdles and over fences and see where he takes us.
Bristol De Mai
He's going to go back and try and win a fourth Betfair Chase. The race seems to suit him but obviously he's a year older. We're hoping that the ground is going to be very heavy up at Haydock and hopefully he will go there. It would be great if we could have a record fourth win in the race.
Impulsive One
He's had a couple of wins and a second at Kempton the other day. He's just gone away for a slight wind operation so he won't go on the ground when it's too heavy but I think there are plenty of races to be won with him. Next spring, summertime, hopefully we can plot and pick up a couple of nice races along the way.
Fusil Raffles
He goes to either the Charlie Hall next week or Ascot next Saturday, we'll see what the ground is like at both of those courses. He's been dropped 4lb for his race at Newton Abbot. I actually think the horse has improved a little bit this year compared to last year; he seemed very, very well over the summer. We'll definitely step him up to three miles at some stage of the season.
Good Boy Bobby
He's come back in and Nige is very, very happy with him. Obviously last season was something of a mixed bag and he probably wasn't showing his true potential. Hopefully this year - he's had a nice summer's break - he can live up to some of his novice form that he had a few years ago. I think the key to him is more small fields than the bigger fields so I think we're going to have to duck and dive and pick and choose our races for him.
Fortunes Melody
I think we've worked out the key to ride her. She needs to take her time a little bit. She had a pipe-opener over hurdles last week at Fontwell when the ground was very heavy and she's had a wind operation as well, she seems better for that. She's going to go chasing from now on, two and a half miles over fences and we'll go from there.
Janika
He's come back in and I worked him last week. He seemed on really good form with himself and I think we're definitely going to go back chasing with him, he seems to enjoy jumping fences. Maybe something over the big fences in April back at the Grand National meeting, he might end up there.
Our Surprise
He needed the run quite a lot down at Fontwell on his first run. We might end up going chasing with him this year, we're not 100% sure, but I still think he's slightly better than what his handicap mark is. Hopefully we can get him to chill out a little bit and hopefully nick a few pots over hurdles with him before we go chasing.
Torigni
He just needed his run at Chepstow. He's going to go over fences next. I think he'll have a busy campaign when the ground is deep enough.
Raffles Gitane
She worked this morning and worked nicely. She had a run up at Sedgefield over fences but the ground was too quick and the track was too sharp over two miles so really what she needs is slightly slower ground, a longer trip and a more test of a track. I'd imagine you'll see her running around those staying tracks up north quite a bit.
Fulgurix
He's a typical big, National Hunt (NH) type horse. You look at him and think 'wow, he's going to be a real nice chaser'. He was at Colin Tizzard's last year and he's gone to Harry Whittington's this year. Henrietta Knight has done a wonderful job, she's done a bit of schooling with him at home. He's only rated 113 but he needs to improve an awful lot this year.
O'Toole
He's a really nice horse to look forward to for the year; very, very excited about him. He likes his jumping, he's a real nice NH type of horse and I think he's going to be a really exciting horse to go novice hurdling with this year.
Ballycoose and Champ De Gane
He's a lovely horse. He's been very well. Obviously he won the bumper and Champ De Gane was second. Two really exciting horses to go novice hurdling with. I think that whatever they do over hurdles, they're going to have really bright futures over fences.
Carnfunnock
He ran a really nice race to finish third in a Punchestown bumper. He was a little bit weak last year and probably needed the summer's grass. He's done really well with himself over the summer and we're very much looking forward to him maturing into the game and hopefully we can have an exciting season with him.
Holmes St George
He's a sharp type of horse. He'll be a nice little hurdler, he's very quick at his hurdles from A to B. He'll be a horse that will probably be around the sharper type of tracks and hopefully, again, he can do really well for us this year.
Saint D'oroux
A good horse, I finished third on him in the Fred Winter a few years ago. He's had a wind operation done and has moved to Stuart Crawford's this year. He's going to go over fences next. I think he'll start low key and hopefully he can keep stepping up in grade and we can get him back to where we had him as a three-year-old.
Docpickedme
I won a hurdle race on him last year. He's going to go chasing and he's going to be a nice good to soft, soft ground chaser over three miles down along the line. I think he's got a rating of 120 at the moment but I think he's better than that and hopefully you'll see him to better effect over fences.
Galudon
He was fourth in a point over in Ireland for Sam Curling. He's done nothing wrong since he's come to Harry's (Whittington), very happy with him. He's schooled well, settled in well. I imagine he'll be starting out in a novice hurdle and see what direction we go with him then; I think he'll tell us where we need to go with him.
Fitz In
He's a bigger, more proper NH type of horse. He's a little bit more on the bridle, a little bit more revved, he needs a bit of chilling at the moment but he's a very exciting horse to look at. He'll start off low key and hopefully tell us where to go.
I'm Spellbound
He's done very well over the summer for his break, he's been working very nicely and he's a bigger and stronger horse now. Hopefully you'll see him in a good light over hurdles this year.
Raf Tavel
He's done well over the summer. He just probably needed a bit of time to acclimatise after coming over to England and hopefully we can have a good year with him.
Jetoile
He's a nice horse and we were delighted with his run at Cheltenham where he finished third. Hopefully he can improve again from that and we'll be disappointed if we can't get a win into him sooner rather than later as he's shown me a little bit at home when I've ridden him in work at Ryan Potter's.