Sean Quinlan: My Five to Follow ahead of 2024/25 Jumps Season

SARACEN BEAU (Nicky Richards)

"The first one is a nice young horse of Nicky Richards called Saracen Beau who ran really well in a bumper at Ayr last season. He was a bit green, a bit weak and a bit backward, but he finished off really well, finishing third behind a nice horse of Lucinda Russell’s called Kingston James who came out and won his novice hurdle really well at Hexham the other day. And the second horse was a horse of Stuart Crawford’s (Step Out) who has won a novice hurdle and been placed in handicaps. I schooled Saracen Bull at Nicky's last week, he jumps really well, and he's strengthened up nicely. He's a really nice horse and I can see him winning novice hurdles this year."

NAB WOOD (Nicky Richards)

"The second one is another horse of Nicky's, Nab Wood. It took him a while to get the hang of things over hurdles but by the end of last season he won two really good races at Kelso. He won a novice hurdle by 12 lengths, beating a horse of the Lucinda’s again called Choose a Copper, who won his novice chase the other day. And then he went back and won a handicap really well a couple of weeks after that. He’s strengthened up a lot, he's very slick over his hurdles so I think he'll stay over them for the start of the season, but he might be aimed at the big three-mile hurdles on soft ground."

FAMOUS BRIDGE (Nicky Richards)

"Obviously he was the flag bearer for both me and Nicky last year and me. He won two good races at Haydock - the Tommy Whittle and the Grand National Trial - and he ran really well at the Cheltenham Festival in the Ultima Handicap behind a very good horse of Kim Bailey's, Chianti Classico. I think he'll start off at Kelso and he'll be aimed at the Grand National, but he'll be a nice horse to follow, and, if we end up at Aintree, hopefully we get a bit of rain because the softer the ground the better for him."

LAWRENNY (Jennie Candlish)

"Lawrenny ran in three bumpers last year and he improved each time, winning on his last start at Newcastle when beating a nice horse of Mick Easterby's called Fiery Dawn and one of Mark Walford called Battle Born Lad, two talking horses that day. And Battle Born Lad came out and won a novice hurdle the other day. I can see Lawrenny winning a couple of novice hurdles on soft ground over anything from two-and-a-half to three miles. He's strengthened up a lot, he's a very tough and genuine horse, and I think he'll improve a lot from last year."

MELLIFICENT (Lizzie Quinlan)

"The last horse is a mare called Mellificent who the owner has kindly sent to us from Jonjo O’Neill’s. She was second in a bumper in Ireland behind a good horse of Willie Mullins called Hunters Yarn and then the owner bought her and sent her to Jonjo's and she won a bumper at Uttoxeter and then she won a novice hurdle at Carlisle. She ran a couple of times in mares’ listed races and the ground kind of went against her, but she's got a very nice mark of 115. She's shown all the right signs at home - I really like her – and I can see her winning a couple off her mark. She's a mare that could be going back to Doncaster at the end of the season for the three-mile mares' listed race (that she was fourth in last season) and hopefully she could be a flag-bearer for our yard."

More horses to follow

• Nick Scholfield
• Max McNeill

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