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National Hunt season: Horses to follow
Top jockey Gavin Sheehan provides us with the five horses he’s most looking forward to riding this National Hunt season.
- Click on horse name for full profile and to add to your My Stable tracker
Gavin Sheehan's Five to Follow...
Grove Road (Archie Watson)
He came from the point-to-point field and won his bumper first time out at Sedgefield last December. He loves to jump and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do over obstacles this season.
Hardy Du Seuil (Jamie Snowden)
He won a couple of times over fences last season and looks to have strengthen up again through the summer. He ran some very solid races as a four-year-old and he just wasn't himself on his hurdling comeback. Hopefully he can leave that well behind in time.
Super Survivor (Jamie Snowden)
He won two of his three starts in small novice hurdle events at Doncaster, Chepstow and Carlisle earlier in the year. He’ll go novice chasing and should improve for a fence so I'd like to think he can win his fair share as the season goes on.
Coachman (Oliver Signy)
He's a lovely horse with a lot of presence and won his point-to-point. He didn't beat many home on his hurdling debut at Chepstow last November but has done well for the time off.
Leave Of Absence (Chris Gordon)
He won his bumpers at Kempton and Newbury impressively last season before running third in the Grade Two at Aintree in April. That came just a week on from his Newbury win and he did well in the circumstances. He'll make a smart novice hurdler all being well and he's schooled nicely at home.
Ciaran Gethings' Five to Follow...
Bubble Dubi (Stuart Edmunds)
He ran in two bumpers last year, racing keenly when fourth first time out. He settled better at Southwell, finishing third having been dropped out the back. The winner has won impressively since, as has the runner-up. We like this horse a lot.
Gentleman At Arms (Stuart Edmunds)
He was a good horse last year, winning two novices. He was second in the Leamington Spa, second in the Sidney Banks and again in the Grade One at Aintree. He progressed all year and stepped up in trip to three miles. We think he may have needed the comeback run at Aintree over the weekend and could have a few pounds up his sleeve this year with that behind him.
Arizona Cardinal (Stuart Edmunds)
He finished sixth in the EBF Final last season and has taken well to fences, winning narrowly at Bangor towards the end of October. I think he'll improve massively and could still be very well handicapped.
Chianti Classico (Kim Bailey)
He finished second at Ascot in a bumper and then came out and won at Market Rasen very impressively, while Kim's horses probably weren't fully right by the time he went to Aintree. He won his maiden hurdle at Chepstow the other day and we like him a lot so there's hopefully lots more to come.
Top Target (Kim Bailey)
He's a bumper horse who was second first time out at Worcester earlier in the month. He was fifth in an Irish point then came out and won an English point earlier in his career. He was quite a cheap horse but we like him a lot. He's definitely one to follow on the back of such an encouraging comeback effort.
Sean Quinlan's Five to Follow...
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Crystal Glory (Nicky Richards)
He was a dual winner in novice hurdles last year then he ran in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock and was second to Hillcrest.
It looked like he was going to give him a big run going to the last and he was probably the only horse to get quite close to Hillcrest before he ran at the Cheltenham Festival.
He’s won two point-to-points and he jumps very well, I’ve schooled him and everything’s gone to plan so hopefully we’ll start him when we get a bit of rain and he’ll be a lovely three-mile novice chaser.
Houston Texas (Nicky Richards)
He did nothing but improve all last year and won two staying handicaps in February around Carlisle.
He’s similar to Crystal Glory and he loves it when the mud is flying so he could be a horse for the Grand National trials and the likes of the Eider Chase. I think he’s one that can keep on improving.
Ned Tanner (Nick Alexander)
I won a couple of times over hurdles on him last year, a novice and a handicap. When he won at Kelso in the novice he beat a well-regarded horse of Nicky’s (Famous Bridge) who has gone on to frank the form.
When he was beaten at Ayr we rode him too patiently but he went back there and won very well.
He jumps a fence really well at home and he’s quite an exciting horse to go novice chasing.
Basford (Jennie Candlish)
He was a four-year-old last year and he won a bumper at Carlisle first time out, beating a subsequent mares’ Listed hurdle winner.
He ran with a penalty next time at Wetherby and was third, giving weight to two very good horses in front of him. He went to Newbury and Aintree after that and they were tough enough races for him at that stage.
He’s had a nice summer’s break and he can be a nice horse to go hurdling.
Fringill Dike (Jedd O’Keeffe)
He’s only been winning quite small novice hurdles around Hexham but I really like him.
Everything he’s done he’s done really well, winning a bumper and then three novice hurdles. He’s got a mark of 119 and when you see him in a handicap he could be very well handicapped off that as I think Jedd holds him in very high regard.
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