Henry Daly, Trainer
POSSOL (Fra)
5y bay gelding
Robin Des Pres-Alberade
Trained by Henry Daly Owned by Neville Statham
Possol did very well and was placed in all his six races over fences last season. He ran very well at Cheltenham when third in the Jewson before ending his season with a win at Towcester and will have the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November as his first big target. He is still a novice over hurdles and it might be interesting to see him run over timber at some stage.
Nicky Henderson, Trainer
MAD MAX (Ire)
6y bay gelding
Kayf Tara-Caroles Crusader
Trained by Nicky Henderson Owned by Carole Skipworth & Paul Murphy
I am going for Mad Max because he is lovely – and the biggest horse in training you have have ever seen! He is humungous, but it didn’t stop him winning his two bumpers last season, both of them at Newbury and the second of them was a grade two bumper which he won by eight lengths. He will go straight over hurdles this season and will be a lovely horse for anyone to follow.
Philip Hobbs, Trainer
RING THE BOSS (Ire)
7y bay gelding
Kahyasi-Fortunes Girl
Trained by Philip Hobbs Owned by Alan Peterson
When I choose a horse to follow, it is often the kiss of death, but I hope I shall be all right with Ring The Boss who will go novice chasing this season. He ran probably his best race when he was second at Punchestown in April having had two runs over fences, the first in a valuable race at Warwick when he was an excellent second to Kruguyrova and the second in the Arkle at Cheltenham as we thought if he was going to win over fences last season then it had to be a top race. He will start off over two miles, but realistically wants two-and-a-half miles. I am hopeful he will be top class.
Alan King, Trainer
BAKBENSCHER
5y grey gelding
Bob Back-Jessolle
Trained by Alan King Owned by Three Line Whip
He did very well for me last season winning two of his three bumpers and running well when second in the other. He ran his best race on his final start when he won at Wincanton and he will go novice hurdling this season and looks one to follow.
Henrietta Knight, Trainer
CALGARY BAY (Ire)
5y bay gelding
Taipan-Dante’s Thatch
Trained by Henrietta Knight Owned by Mrs T P Radford
Calgary Bay did very well over hurdles last season winning at Cheltenham in December and being placed in four of his other five races, which was very good considering that he was always going to be a chaser. He has schooled very well and will go novice chasing this season and though he is closely related to The Grey Abbey and The Grey Monk, who both stayed more than three miles, he will start off over two and then step up.
Charlie Mann, Trainer
KING BREX (Den)
5y bay gelding
Primatico-Moon Shine
Trained by Charlie Mann
King Brex is a really nice unexposed horse who should do well novice hurdling this season. I bought him from Tom Hogan after he ran well in a couple of bumpers at Punchestown and Clonmel and I like him a lot. I rode him the other day and he gave me a very good vibe. He doesn’t have an owner yet, but I hope that will change very soon and, hopefully, me putting him up as one to follow won’t be the kiss of death.
Gary Moore, Trainer
NUMIDE (Fra)
5y bay gelding
Highest Honor-Numidie
Trained by Gary Moore Owned by Mr H R Hunt
Numide had some good form in France and won the group two Prix Hocquart as a three-year-old and finished fifth in the French Derby in 2006. He won his first two races over hurdles for me at Leicester and Folkestone and was fourth in a grade two hurdle at Kempton before running in the Supreme Novices Hurdle. He will have another run on the Flat in a group three before going back over hurdles at Sandown with the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury in February as his long-term aim.
Jonjo O’Neill, Trainer
WICHITA LINEMAN (Ire)
7y bay gelding
King’s Theatre–Monumental Gesture
Trained by Jonjo O’Neill Owned by JP McManus
He is a grand horse, who has won bumpers and over hurdles in really good company and will go over fences this season. He won the Brit Insurance Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2007, but was only ninth in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle last March. He jumps fences well and if he does not win a race or two over fences I shall be amazed.
Paul Nicholls, Trainer
TATENEN (Fra)
4y bay gelding
Lost World-Tamaziya
Trained by Paul Nicholls Owned by The Stewart Family
Tatenen was a big, backward horse last year though he won a decent race in France. He was a very good second in that grade one Future Champions race at Chepstow over Christmas and then fourth in a grade two at Cheltenham at which point we put him away to go novice chasing this season. He is a bit like Big Bucks and while he will start off at two miles, he is likely to stay further than that.
David Pipe, Trainer
THE PACKAGE
5y brown gelding
Kayf Tara-Ardent Bride
Trained by David Pipe Owned by David Johnson
He won a bumper on debut and a maiden hurdle at Newbury in November last season and probably ran his best race when he was second in a high class novice hurdle at Sandown in February. He will go novice chasing this season over two to two-and-a-half miles and though he will start off in low key races, I am hopeful that he will make an above-average novice.
Brendan Powell, Trainer
SHOREACRES (Ire)
5y bay gelding
Turtle Island-Call Me Dara
Trained by Brendan Powell Owned by David Nash
Shoreacres is a very exciting horse to have. He won his bumper at Plumpton and then ran third in two graded bumpers at Ascot and Warwick before rounding off his season with fourth place in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. He has had a lot of schooling and looks very good and we will start him off somewhere in the middle of October.
Colin Tizzard, Trainer
THE JAZZ MUSICIAN (Ire)
6y bay gelding
Tiraaz-Royal Well
Trained by Colin Tizzard Owned by The Jazz Club
The Jazz Musician came back from over a year off to finish second in a bumper at Chepstow, which was the third time in a row he had been runner-up in a bumper there. He ran very well when second on his debut over hurdles at Newbury and then won his next start at Chepstow in March. He will now go novice chasing and should do well over fences. He is likely to start off at Chepstow in October.
Nigel Twiston Davies, Trainer
RAZOR ROYALE (Ire)
6y bay gelding
Oscar-Maypole Gayle
Trained by Nigel Twiston Davies Owned by Mr C Cornes
I have high hopes for Razor Royale, who had some really good hurdle form to his name last season. He won a bumper at Perth in September and his novice hurdle at Cheltenham on debut in November and ran well in the Ballymore Properties at Cheltenham in March. He has schooled well over fences and should make a useful novice chaser this season ar around three miles.
Competitions