Chepstow Jump Season Opener preview: Trainers and horses to follow

Temperatures darting about from around 10 to 23C; bright sunshine followed by torrential rain; ladybirds in and out of the house like nobody’s business. In one sense, it’s felt like autumn has really landed this week, but summer is clinging on too and it’s reflected by the action on our racecourses as Newmarket’s two-day Dubai Future Champions Festival interlocks (provided they're off on time at HQ, nudge-nudge) with the Unibet Jump Season Opener at Chepstow across Friday and Saturday.

Chepstow - propped up by increased prize-money, some decent marketing and an Oasis tribute band this time around to boot - now lays claim to being the "start of the winter National Hunt season in the UK", and there’s a growing acceptance that Definitely Mightbe the case.

It is at least a C-word that even the most world-weary jumps fan is happy to embrace at this time of year, and a meeting which can often act as a microcosm for what's to come.

Nicholls out in force for season proper

Friday’s Unibet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle - the single race at the meeting to carry Graded status - has a rich history and has been won by some cracking horses who have gone on to prove themselves at the highest level, including the likes of Monsignor, One Knight, Reve De Sivola, Silviniaco Conti, Fingal Bay, Blaklion and Thyme Hill.

Silviniaco Conti’s trainer - the perennial champ Paul Nicholls - has won it eight times in total, and endured a bunch of seconds along the way too, and if there’s a top prospect this year then it’s most likely his Captain Teague in the silks of Mrs Johnny de la Hey.

Half-brother to a trio of NH winners including the quirky but talented Sky Pirate, Captain Teague has looked nothing but straightforward in his short racing career to this point and just about struck the front in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper before the late scrimmage with a furlong to travel, ultimately boxing on for a fine third behind the JP McManus pair, A Dream To Share and Fact To File.

A serious unit with a big, raking stride, Nicholls’ chestnut will need to be plenty fit enough and mentally sharp enough returning on such an undulating track which can occasionally be made to look tricky for hurdling newcomers. Although you’d image his chances will improve for every drop of rain between now and the off-time.

After Danny Kirwan (summer wind op, naturally) resumes in the Veterans’ Handicap Chase and Captain Teague debuts in the big one, the trainer takes the wraps off German import Panjari in the two-mile novice hurdle and ominously-named point winner Florencethemachine in the two and a half-miler.

Sandwiching that pair could be the Nicholls’ handicap snip of the week, the five-year-old Ioupy Collognes, who is sent straight down the handicap route on debut over fences. He looks chucked in off 122, quite frankly.

Knappers Hill is the Saturday flag-bearer in the Listed novices’ chase, ably supported by leading Silver Trophy contender Sonigino, who won stylishly first time out on the Friday card here 12 months ago.

Nicholls, way down at 27th in the fledgling stages of the new title race, has sent out just eight winners since hoisting the trophy for a 14th time at the end of April, but the onslaught is coming alright and listen closely – you can almost hear the engines beginning to whirr down in Ditcheat.

Skelton typically picking his battles wisely

Nicky Henderson is the only trainer to have beaten Nicholls to title glory since Martin Pipe’s last win in 2004-05 - on four occasions - and he’s clearly not going anywhere just yet.

Realistically, however, the biggest danger is probably Willie Mullins. He finished fourth last year with £1,721,329 in the GB prize pot and that came from just eight winners. If Ireland’s main man wanted to win here too, then he most likely could.

Longer-term, it’ll be Dan Skelton who takes up the mantle. He went close when runner-up in 2020-21 - the year his brother, Harry, was crowned champion jockey - and has finished third every other season since 2018-19.

When you consider Protektorat was his first domestic non-novice Grade 1 winner when landing last year’s Betfair Chase at Haydock, it’s clear Skelton has learnt a considerable amount from former boss Nicholls when it comes to targeting the major handicap prizes on offer throughout the year, and it’ll only take three or four of those promising novices to start hitting the mark at the top table for everything to slot into place for a genuine title charge.

That could be this season, though chances are it may take another three or four.

The Skelton team for Chepstow isn’t a huge one but this is a man adept at picking his battles and the point-to-point/bumper/maiden hurdle winner Rock House is one of just a couple of the nine runners in Friday’s Persian War with race-fitness on his side, and looks a feasible threat to Captain Teague.

Nicholls looking over his shoulder for Skelton? Get used to it.

Well-proven by now, and still on the rise

The early pace-setter in the trainers' championship is Fergal O’Brien which will come as little surprise to some as he’s often played the role of hare to Nicholls’ hound in recent seasons. Although given the career-high numbers being recorded were in part put down to his merger with Graeme McPherson a couple of years ago, an early return of 48 winners and in excess of £400,000 in prize money this term must rank as impressive given that partnership came to an end with an amicable split on “logistical” grounds earlier this year.

Cake-fuelled social media wizard O’Brien isn’t just a front-running rabbit - far from it in fact, underlined by the high-profile exploits of Dysart Enos, Punctuation and Bonttay deep into the heart of last spring. There's a lot to look forward to once more, but there is also every chance he could yet emerge as this week's star baker, with a host of runners in line for a fixture he evidently takes seriously.

Somewhat surprisingly, there is no Ravenswell Farm representative out to defend the Persian War crown claimed by Accidental Rebel last year, but the ex-Sam Thomas-trained Before Midnight is an interesting addition to the team and runs under Ben Sutton in Friday’s seniors’ handicap hurdle. Sutton is now 4-6 for the yard after Police Academy's Wednesday win and his two beaten rides for O’Brien both finished second.

Lookout too for the O'Brien-trained filly Greyval in Saturday’s Paul Ferguson Jumpers To Follow 4-Y-O Hurdle as she ran miles better than the bare form suggests in the Grade 1 at Aintree’s Grand National meeting when last seen, backing out of it after a mistake at the last.

O’Brien has finished 27th, 13th, 7th, 7th and 5th in the past five trainers’ championships and, no matter how Chepstow pans out, you wouldn’t bet against that trajectory continuing to head in the right direction in 2023-24.

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