Max McNeill: My Five to Follow ahead of 2024/25 Jumps Season

BUTCH (Olly Murphy)

We’ve hopefully got a good, strong team of novice chasers this season, starting with Butch. The plan for him is to go to Carlisle at the end of the month and then hopefully to Cheltenham. The distance at Carlisle might be a little bit short for him but it’s a good opener, a nice place to start, and he’s a horse we think a lot of. He’s made to be a chaser, as the old saying goes!

INTHEWATERSIDE (Paul Nicholls)

He’s another novice chaser and he had a decent season over hurdles, winning a couple. He just treats the hurdles with disrespect as he’s such a big horse, a well-put-together horse. Again, he’s made for a fence and he’ll be ready in a week or two. His first outing might even be over hurdles just to settle him down a bit before he goes over fences.

THREE CARD BRAG (Gordon Elliott)

He only ran twice last winter, we didn’t have a clear run with him at all, but he was third in the Grade 1 at Punchestown at the end of April (replay below). He finished second in his others starts last December and he just wasn’t right the first time he ran. I’m very excited about him this time as a second-season chaser and, right now, he could end up being a Grand National horse.

QUEBECOIS (Paul Nicholls)

He ran in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and ran no sort of race, it just turned into a bit of a sprint and I’d say everything turned against him. He’s a two and a half miler, he’s back and he’s ready to roll. Paul had thought about Stratford this week, tentatively, but you should see an entry coming up for him very soon in a two and a half mile novices’ hurdle. He’s been schooling brilliantly apparently and we’re very excited about him.

CALIFET EN VOL (Nicky Henderson)

He was third in his only bumper at Ayr in April and things just didn’t go that well for him in the race but he’s been working with Luccia so he’s obviously got a bit of ability. He will go two-mile novice hurdling, at least I hope that’s what he’ll be doing as we don’t have many of those! I went to see him three or four weeks ago and he’s looking magnificent and is very exciting.

More horses to follow

• Nick Scholfield

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