Patrick Mullins: My Five to Follow for 2024/25 Jumps Season
Timeform's Horses To Follow for the 2024/25 jumps season is out now - here's an extract as Patrick Mullins provides his five to follow.
Karniquet 4 ch.g. Kapgarde (Fr) - Queenjo (Fr) (Grand Tresor (Fr)) h113
Karniquet is a new French horse we've bought. He's a four-year-old so he's not a juvenile and is going to be a novice hurdler. He's by Kapgarde and was second at Pau and Auteuil in two runs. It's obviously early days and we haven't got to peek under the bonnet at all, but he looks like a horse that should be winning plenty of races this season.
Kopek des Bordes (Fr) 4 b.g. No Risk At All (Fr) - Miss Berry (Fr) (Cadoudal (Fr)) b110p
Kopek des Bordes put in one of the best bumper performances last season when he won the Tattersalls George Mernagh Bumper at Fairyhouse. He was an expensive store and he's a half-brother to a Grade 1 winner in Utopie des Bordes. He's by No Risk At All and has a lot of size and scope. His performance was one that blew me away and I'd be expecting him to take top order in the novice hurdles this season.
Maughreen (Ire) 5 b.m. Walk In The Park (Ire) - Molly's Mate (Ire) (Goldmark (USA)) b103p
I'm really looking forward to getting Maughreen back on the track. She's by Walk In The Park and from the family of Faugheen and put in a huge performance when she won at Punchestown – the third and fourth home have both won since at lower levels. She has the size and scope to go on and jump hurdles and indeed fences, and you'd be hoping she could make into a Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle horse this season.
Salvator Mundi (Fr) 4 b.g. No Risk At All (Fr) - Stacicaya (Fr) (Saint des Saints (Fr)) h139p
Salvator Mundi is probably an obvious one. He was second to Sir Gino at Auteuil before we bought him, and he ran a cracker first time out for us when sixth in the Triumph Hurdle. He then demolished a much weaker field at Tipperary and he looks like he could be one for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. He's by No Risk At All, which is a help, and we would have very high hopes for him this season.
You Proof (Fr) 4 b.g. Muhtathir - Al Doha (Hawk Wing (USA)) unraced
You Proof is a fine, big, beautiful model of a horse. He's by Muhtathir, the sire of Envoi Allen, and was second in his point-to-point for Pat Doyle which is a nursery we've had a lot of luck buying from. We tried to get him out for Punchestown but he didn't make it. That could be a blessing in disguise with his size and scope, and I'd be hoping he might make into one of our top bumper horses this year. He's definitely a horse to be looking forward to for the next several years.