Highest-rated novice chasers including Jonbon and Mighty Potter

Jonbon (161p)

Jonbon enjoyed a successful campaign over hurdles last season, winning four of his five starts, including a Grade 1 at Aintree, and he met with his only defeat when runner-up behind his extraordinarily-talented stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. However, as a big, well-made type, and a brother to the top-class chaser Douvan, Jonbon had the tools to fare even better over fences and he has quickly reached a higher level on Timeform ratings.

Jonbon created a good impression when comfortably scoring on his first start over fences at Warwick, running to a high level for a chasing debutant, and clocking a good time (only Galopin des Champs and Brain Power have recorded a better timefigure on chasing debut since Timeform started returning jumps timefigures in 2015).

The Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase promised to provide a better test of his credentials as, despite being sent off 2/11, he was up against a talented rival in Boothill who had already shown smart form over fences when winning a strong handicap at Ascot. But Jonbon proved in a league of his own, jumping spectacularly in front and readily quickening eight lengths clear.

That earned Jonbon a Timeform rating of 161p, and only subsequent Sporting Life Arkle and Betfair Tingle Creek winner Edwardstone clocked a higher Timeform performance rating in the Henry VIII this century.

Mighty Potter (160p)

Jonbon is the highest-rated horse in the novice chase division, but only by 1 lb as Mighty Potter produced a performance of similar merit when landing a strong edition of the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse the following afternoon.

There were some highly-promising sorts among the ten who went to post in the Drinmore, but Mighty Potter, who travelled powerfully and jumped boldly, was well on top at the line, posting a high-class performance to beat last season's Irish Grand National third Gaillard du Mesnil by four and a half lengths with the runner-up 14 lengths clear of Banbridge in third.

Mighty Potter had won two Grade 1s as a novice hurdler last season, but this performance, which made it two from two over fences, took his form to another level.

Gaillard du Mesnil (156)

Gaillard du Mesnil may have been no match for Mighty Potter in the Drinmore but in pulling well clear of the remainder he posted a very smart performance, matching the pick of his form from last season.

Gaillard du Mesnil failed to win during his first season over fences last term, but he posted some notable placed efforts in Grade 1 company in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival and Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, while he was also third in the Irish Grand National.

That Gaillard du Mesnil has shown very smart form at distances from two and a half miles to three miles and five furlongs highlights rare versatility that will give connections plenty of options. His ultimate target this season, you'd imagine, is probably the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and he has already run to a level good enough to have won most editions of that contest.

Banbridge (153p)

Banbridge also ran in the Drinmore, though he wasn't at his best in third in that contest, failing to see things out thoroughly after not settling well enough in a race run on testing ground.

Banbridge clearly stays two and a half miles - he showed that on a couple of occasions last season, notably when winning the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival - but it could be that he'll be at his very best when ridden positively over two miles.

He certainly coped well with such a scenario when winning a Grade 2 novice chase at Cheltenham in November, earning his rating of 153p with an authoritative six-length success.

Saint Roi (153p)

Unlike most of the other high achievers so far this season, Saint Roi doesn't strike as an obvious chasing type as he's a compact sort who had plenty or racing over hurdles and his progress in that sphere had levelled out.

He did show very smart form at his best over hurdles, however, with his efforts including a fourth-placed finish in the Champion Hurdle last season, and he made a positive start over fences when runner-up at Navan last month.

Saint Roi had to settle for second at Navan, but he ran to a high level for a debutant in the face of a stiff task, trying to concede an overly-generous 8 lb weight-for-age allowance to Fil Dor, a four-year-old who finished runner-up in three Grade 1s last season. He couldn't go with Fil Dor after the final fence but was 24 lengths clear of the remainder.

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