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Five horses on the radar for the big races in 2025

By Ben Linfoot

Horse Racing

Sun January 05, 2025 · 1d ago

Our form expert Ben Linfoot reveals five horses he’s got in mind for some of the big races in 2025.

One to back next time out… LEAVE OF ABSENCE

I was really looking forward to seeing LEAVE OF ABSENCE at Kempton over Christmas after a very nice return behind Iberico Lord at the end of November.

Anthony Honeyball’s horse was a non-runner in the novices’ handicap chase on Boxing Day due to unsuitable ground, but perhaps he needed more time given his fencing debut came 758 days after his previous run.

Either way, he can make his mark in a novices’ handicap chase off a rating of 127, especially if he steps up in trip after reappearing over 2m2f.

That looked a hot beginners’ chase he ran in at Kempton and there are plenty of reasons to believe he’s well handicapped, so he’s worth sticking in the tracker ahead of his next assignment.

Trainer Anthony Honeyball

One for the Cheltenham Festival… DJELO

One glance at the Ryanair Chase market on Oddschecker and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the race of the Festival.

Banbridge, Fact To File, Gaelic Warrior, El Fabiolo, Energumene and Il Est Francais occupy the first six spots in the antepost betting but let’s be real, the spread on how many of those turn up would be 0-1.

DJELO is 20/1 for the race and he looks only bound for the Ryanair, possibly via the Betfair Ascot Chase over 2m5f in February.

Venetia Williams’ horse was third in the now-extinct Turners at last year’s Festival behind Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny, but he looked a much-improved model when beating last year’s Ryanair winner Protektorat in the Peterborough Chase, jumping beautifully on his way to an easy win.

The last time he went to Ascot he hammered the Coral Gold Cup winner, Kandoo Kid, so he could easily further cement his Ryanair claims in Berkshire ahead of the Festival.

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One for the Grand National… INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN

Who can forget INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN sauntering to Kim Muir success at 13/8 at last year’s Cheltenham Festival despite still being novicey at his fences?

That he won a Grade 1 at Aintree after that says plenty about his natural ability and it seems that Gavin Cromwell has been hellbent on improving his jumping in the first half of the current campaign.

Reappearing in the John Durkan over 2m3f at Punchestown looked a sharpening up exercise and he caught the eye behind Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Christmas, jumping well bar one mistake at the 10th on his way to a 15-length fifth.

There is plenty of water to flow under the Grand National bridge yet but this horse is a strong stayer in the right hands who looks a project for something big.

He’s 33/1 for Aintree as things stand and it will be interesting to see which way those odds go if he’s in the National when the weights are revealed in February.

Mark Walsh celebrates on board Inothewayurthinkin

One for the Classics… TWAIN

A few Flat horses to finish with and while all eyes are understandably on The Lion In Winter heading into 2025 I was very taken by the way his stablemate TWAIN burst onto the scene at the backend of the last season.

Aidan O’Brien is beginning to feel the benefit of Wootton Bassett after the exploits of River Tiber and Unquestionable, but the next step is to unearth a regular Group 1 performer and in Henri Matisse and Twain he has a couple of his progeny that could take the upcoming Flat season by storm.

It’s fair to say Twain’s debut success at Leopardstown wasn’t expected at 28/1 and that he backed that up nine days later with a Group 1 win at Saint-Cloud, by a length-and-a-quarter despite hanging, says plenty about his rapid rise from obscurity at two.

He’s 16/1 for the 2000 Guineas and 20/1 for the Derby, so he’s on the radar for the Classics, but however he develops he looks one to look forward to once the clocks go forward.

TWAIN looks good! Aidan O'Brien's star remains unbeaten in the Group 1 Criterium International!

One dark horse… STAR OF LIGHT

The Gosden yard usually have at least one once-raced winter winner at Newcastle to unleash in the three-year-old races but I can’t find one this season and so it’s to the Wolverhampton Tapeta we go for clues.

Just before Christmas STAR OF LIGHT ran for the Gosdens on debut in a fillies’ maiden over the extended nine furlongs at Dunstall Park and she belied greenness to run out a taking winner at 9/2.

By Frankel out of the same connections’ Ribblesdale and Irish Oaks winner Star Catcher, who was a half-sister to Cannock Chase, she’s from a lovely family and has loads of potential over a mile and a half on turf this year.

She’s 33/1 for the Oaks and while there’s a long way to go before she proves she’ll be up to that sort of level, she’s a nice prospect and one to keep an eye out for in the Classic trials in the spring.