Our star columnist and the winningmost trainer in Cheltenham Festival history takes you through his exciting team of novice chasers for the 2023-24 jumps season.
Ashroe Diamond
Ashroe Diamond has schooled well over fences but she's a valuable mare and the decision hasn't been made whether she's going to go down the mares' novice chase route or stick to hurdling this season. She's come back in good form and I'll have to have a word with connections.
Blood Destiny
I'm looking forward to going novice chasing with him. He's a horse who impressed us at home hugely last season but didn't do on the track everything we thought he was capable of doing. He's inclined to get a bit buzzy at the races so he's got to settle down. He jumps well, a fine type of horse, and he will start off in a beginners' chase as soon as he's ready. He has the pace to win over two miles but if he settles down he has the pedigree to win over a longer trip. We will see how his season progresses as we race him.
Brandy Love
She's one we'll have to do a lot of thinking about. The obvious thing would be to go over fences. She jumps well - she's a point-to-point winner - and I think I'll start her off over fences and see how things go. She has everything - a bit of speed, plenty of stamina.
Champ Kiely
Champ Kiely met with a setback out at grass this summer so is going to miss the first half of the season. I would imagine I'd just keep him hurdling and put off his novice chase campaign until next season.
Embassy Gardens
He's come back very strong and I'm very pleased with how he came back from grass. He looks much stronger than last year so I'm much happier with him and looking forward to going over fences.
Facile Vega
He'll go jumping over fences. We'll start him off wherever we get nice ground, I'm not too worried about trip early on - two or two and a half. I'm looking at him as a possible Arkle horse. We'll see how he takes to fences but I'd imagine he should be a lot better over fences. I think he'll have probably more respect for a fence than a hurdle and I'll get him going as soon as I can, probably mid-November.
He's jumped a couple of times, seems quite good, and I'm looking forward to him coming out. Let's hope he jumps well on his first few runs over fences and then we can see which direction we're going to go, two or two and a half. I'd hope the best is still to come, the family seem to improve with age.
Fact To File
Fact To File is a horse I really like and I thought he ran a cracker in the Cheltenham bumper. He could go novice hurdling but I feel he should go novice chasing. He looks a real jumping type and at his age - he's six turning seven - I just feel he might be as well off going jumping. He has everything you'd want in a chaser - size, scope, temperament - and for me he's one who could make up into a real top-class chaser. ]
We've gone straight over fences with very few horses since Florida Pearl but this horse has the size, scope and temperament to take a chance and his age is a real reason why I want to go, it's a big factor. I think he's a real chaser so I'm keen to get him over jumps.
Gaelic Warrior
We'll aim him for a beginners' chase and he looks like a sort of Brown Advisory horse - he's all stamina, jumps well, fine big stamp of a chaser. We'll start off in a beginners' chase somewhere and hopefully make our way to Cheltenham. I'm always keen to go chasing at this age rather than stay hurdling. If he doesn't take to fences - which he should, I'm not worried about him taking to fences - he can always go back to the Stayers' Hurdle route. To me he's a made novice chaser.
Grangeclare West
He was probably a little disappointing for what he shows me at home but I think chasing will bring out the best in him. He looks an out-and-out staying type and we'll start him off in a beginners' chase. I think he'll be in the staying division. He's another Brown Advisory possible.
Hercule du Seuil
He's been very good and has won five on the trot over fences. He's a free-going type and Mark Walsh has been very good on him - I think he's learning to settle the more he races. He's won over two and a quarter miles already but as he goes higher in grade he'll probably come back in trip to two miles.
I think he's going to be ground dependent and probably won't run through the winter unless the likes of Leopardstown throw up nice ground. We'll decide with JP [McManus, owner] whether he wants to give him a break and prepare him for the spring. His style of racing will put it up to what would look the better novices on paper. He has all the experience but I think ground is crucial.
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Hunters Yarn
He's going to go down the two-mile route over fences as when we ran him over further at Punchestown on his hurdling debut he disappointed us.
Il Etait Temps
He doesn't have much respect for his hurdles but I'm hoping he has more respect over fences. He's very keen and sometimes those keen horses have more respect over fences and settle, and if he did learn to settle and race properly he could make into a Grade 1 horse over fences.
Klassical Dream
I'd like to go jumping fences with Klassical Dream. We had him declared for a beginners' chase before but he had a little issue. He seemed a stronger horse and much more himself this year, and I think he deserves a season novice chasing. He'd be in the staying division.
Mercurey
Unfortunately Mercurey got injured when he was second at Cork and has taken a long time to get over it. There's a chance he might be ready to run in the second half of the season but we haven't made our mind up whether he'll stay hurdling or go novice chasing.
Minella Cocooner
Minella Cocooner has come back and looks well. The little bit of experience he got last year behind Classic Getaway will stand to him and he's by Flemensfirth out of an Old Vic mare which suggests he'll want a trip. We'll start him off and then probably up him in trip after that.
Mister Policeman
He’s a horse who works really well at home and has to go novice chasing at his age but wouldn't have any problem coming back over hurdles. He has plenty of speed and could go the whole way to the top. I think he's going to be a two-mile horse and he could possibly go down the Arkle route but we'll have to see as he races through the season.
Nick Rockett
Nick Rockett is a horse with a lot of ability. He was unlucky first time out in a bumper and then won a bumper, maiden hurdle and a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Fairyhouse. He's one I think will stay and he's a horse who looks like a chaser and can hopefully improve.
Sharjah
Sharjah will stay novice chasing and we're looking at the Drinmore and the Craddockstown. We'll see where we go but he could go two or two and a half miles. He's taken to chasing really well and it's been a nice surprise, so there might be some nice prizes to be won with him this season.
Spanish Harlem
He had a good summer. When we bought him chasing was always the objective so he'll go novice chasing and I think he'll probably be in the staying division. He's shaping up nicely, jumps well, so is probably going to be a Brown Advisory sort - a real nice type. He got a full summer out at grass with us this term and I felt he missed that before last season when we bought him in the summer, which held him up a little. His chance of fulfilling the potential we think he has is much better this term.
Zenta
She was a nice juvenile we had last season. She's a fine, big, jumping mare and I might go novice chasing with her this season. She has the size and scope to do that, but I'll have a word with connections about whether they want to spend another season hurdling.
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