Berkshire Winter Million preview: Eyecatching entries and horses to follow at Windsor

By Matt Brocklebank

Horse Racing

Mon January 13, 2025 · 18h ago

Matt Brocklebank picks out some of the most eyecatching entries across the Berkshire Winter Million cards at Windsor this weekend.

With the weather set fair and around £1.2m to be won, the 2025 Berkshire Winter Million has every chance of being a roaring success, and Jonbon against Energumene in Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase is an obvious highlight.

The big Ascot Grade 1 isn’t the only eyecatching clash, though, and here are some other fascinating entries across the Windsor cards on Friday and Sunday.

Silence is golden

Cheltenham’s Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase on Trials Day is usually one of the best races of its type prior to the Festival and has often produced winners in March, but this Friday’s Fitzdares Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase looks a cracking addition to the programme and should be one worth revisiting in the weeks to come.

Gericault Roque leaps off the page, for starters. You’ll no doubt remember him for chasing home Corach Rambler in the 2022 Ultima and he only ran twice the following season, last seen recording a fine third to Le Milos in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

Injury has intervened but the assessor has been kind too, dropping him 6lb as a result of the long time off, and it will be interesting to see if David Pipe’s patience is rewarded before the year's out.

Jingko Blue, up 9lb for his easy Uttoxeter win in December, is set to run under top weight and could book his ticket to the Brown Advisory if handling the step up to three miles, but Deafening Silence might be the one on which to focus.

He’s lurking on a really dangerous mark based on his hurdles form and has looked in need of more of a test in two chase starts over intermediate distances pre-Christmas. I’m expecting big things once sent down the handicap route and this event looks tailormade for the former point winner.

READ: Long-range Ryanair Chase preview and selection

Hansard on the radar

The Grade 2 Lightning Novices Chase proved to be an informative race when moved to Lingfield last year, JPR One eventually winning it from Matata and Pembroke after Djelo came down early, and this year’s race looks to hinge on the two horses in the same ownership in L’Eau du Sud and Caldwell Potter.

This could be another race best left to Dan Skelton as his L’Eau du Sud looks to have been aimed at the valuable Grade 2 all along and should be well capable of defying the penalty based on his chase form to date.

The four handicaps that follow are likely to be far more competitive races and the entries for the two and a half-mile Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Hurdle are unsurprisingly strong after Kempton's Lanzarote Hurdle was lost to the weather recently.

The Willie Mullins-trained Kitzbuhel will no doubt be dangerous after his comfortable defeat of Colonel Mustard on stable debut at Punchestown last month, while a fifth start over hurdles (having had three in France last season) will also see him qualify for the handicaps at Cheltenham should connections already be eyeing up a trip to the Festival.

Bo Zenith has plenty of weekend options including in this, while Minella Missile lacks a recent run but was last season beating Captain Teague in a Cheltenham novice early last season and his opening mark of 138 looks a fair one if fit enough to do himself justice. His trainer Evan Williams has had three winners since New Year’s Eve which bodes quite well.

The Fitzdares Sovereign Handicap Hurdle over two miles has the makings of a very good betting heat and, having recently flagged up Hansard as a live one for the Newbury (formerly Betfair) Handicap Hurdle early next month, it’ll be dead interesting to see if the Moores decide to pitch him in here first/instead.

The same comment applies to Harry Fry’s Altobelli, who I still can’t quite believe didn’t win at Doncaster last month. After some early jumping issues, he ended up flying home to be beaten a length in second and has only gone up 2lb which could prove to be a bit of gift from the assessor. Testing ground would probably be preferred for him.

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Keep Maker in mind when resuming

There are 150 entries in total for Windsor on Sunday and the shining beacon among that lot is obviously Gerri Colombe, who sadly won’t be lining up as trainer Gordon Elliott said he’s not quite right yet, but the Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase still looks potentially quite classy with dual Grade 1 winner Pic D’Orhy, the Ryanair hero Protektorat and this season’s Peterborough Chase winner Djelo in contention.

It's no doubt asking too much to expect all of them to run but there’s Stage Star, Journey With Me, Ahoy Senor and the returning Indiana Dream - now with Johno and AJ O’Neill - also in the mix at this point so it should prove to be a proper test without being a realistic Gold Cup trial.

Earlier on, Paul Nicholls’ Jubilee Alpha looks to take the next step up the ladder in the Fitzdares Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, where she could meet Anno Power and Honky Tonk Highway, while there are a few possible Grand Annual types in the Fitzdares Great Park Handicap Chase including the veterans of the party, Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone.

Unexpected Party is obviously worth tracking on his route back to the Festival where he was successful last year and he could be joined by quirky stablemate Harper’s Brook, who will now look to kick on after opening his account for Skelton at Wetherby over Christmas.

One of the most eyecatching Sunday entries is the Scottish Grand National third Git Maker for the in-form Jamie Snowden in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Handicap Hurdle.

Also engaged at Haydock on Saturday, as well as the Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase at Doncaster the following weekend, he’s a horse often best caught fresh and the hurdling option must be seriously tempting for connections as he’s rated 10lb lower than he is over fences.