Here is the first of my horses to follow list, I have another coming in the next week with novices to follow but I didn’t want the first post to be similar to others with the likes of Samcro, Santini, Kalashnikov, Black Op, Blackbow etc being mentioned over and over again. Here’s a list of horses I think are potentially well treated off their current marks or are horses to stick in your trackers for the coming season to keep an eye on. Enjoy!
CONINGSBY
5yo CHG (Motcombe x Carroll House)
Trainer; Tom Lacey
Owner; Lady Cobham
Form; 1-224
Official rating; 127
Tom Lacey had a superb 2017/18 season and really cemented himself as a trainer firmly at the head of the National Hunt sphere showing his abilities in bumpers, novices all the way through to the big weekend handicaps & Coningsby looks an ideal type for Lacey to progress with this year. Having won a point to point at Larkhi in December, Coningsby made his debut under rules on New Years Day at Exeter testing conditions & the heavy ground, mixed with the galloping nature of the track saw the son of Midnight Legend stay on strongly late in the race only to be passed late by Run To Milan. The pair pulled 9 lengths clear of Storm Home who’s now officially rated 127, with the winner now rated 132. Coningsby’s second run of the season came a month later at Wetherby when beaten comfortably by the Skelton trained Robin Waters who went on to run a creditable 6th in the Albert Bartlett & is now rated 138, however once his chance had gone he was harshly ridden and finished a mile clear of the rest. His third and final run of last season came at Uttoxeter where on the fact of it, was very disappointing, however for that time of year it was a hot novice with the first three rated 130, 145 & 130. Coningsby hung right and jumped right for most of the race, losing ground at every hurdle which makes me think the return to a right handed galloping track such as Exeter would sort that issue out. Rated 127, I believe there’s definitely a handicap in Coningsby and if connections want to go chasing, I think he would improve for a fence and it wouldn’t be long before he got his head infront especially if he was to be entered in a novice handicap chase off his mark.
DIDERO VALLIS
5yo BG (Poliglote x Oreade Vallis)
Trainer; Venetia Williams
Owner; N/A
Form; 333/121023P3-
Official rating; 127
Didero Vallis was quickly given the tag of “The new Don Poli” after his first few runs in Ireland for Willie Mullins, often badly outpaced and driven along a fair way out, he kept finding and finding for pressure earning him comparisons with the lethargic stayer that is Don Poli. After placing in Graded bumpers in France, Didero Vallis was purchased by Rich Ricci and ran a total of 7 times for Mullins last season during a novice hurdle campaign. His trips varied from 2m3f,2m4f, 2m6f and 3m and he was tried on various ground conditions too. The striking thing about DV is that he keeps going when others have cried enough, potentially meaning marathon trips over hurdles or fences could see him improve massively. At Cork on brutal ground he was well beaten in 3rd however he was in 5th in the home straight looking one paced before finding an extra gear late on in the heavy ground to battle past Articulum and De Benno to grab 3rd. At Killarney off a mark of 127, he looked outpaced and booked for 6/7th place before rallying after the second last flight and picking up for 3rd place.
Venetia Williams picked Didero Vallis up for £46,000 at the Goffs UK Horses in Training sale in May and I think she must be fancying this horses as a staying chaser in the making. Looking back through his pedigree he’s related to a whole host of good staying chasers in France such as Jerico Vallis(7 wins over fences inc x2 G2 winner, x3 G3 winner) and Nedji Vallis(6 wins over fences inc x2 Listed placed). His 127 Irish mark will more than likely get boosted to around 130 UK mark but I still feel that if the change of scenery to Venetia’s yard and the switch to fences, it could really improve this horse. It’s hard to specific a target for Didero Vallis however I’d be disappointed if he didn’t prove to be a much better chaser than he is a hurdler and he should be up to winning Novice Handicap Chases between 2m4f and 3m over the coming months especially during the heavy ground months when stamina will be at a premium and there’s no better trainer for that than Venetia.
IBIS DE RHEU
7yo BG (Blue Bresil x Dona du Rheu)
Trainer; Paul Nicholls
Owner; Alex Hales
Form; 21/64/23518/323P/455
Official rating; 139 Chase, 145 Hurdle
One of the more well know horses in the handicappers to follow list with 16 runs however he is lightly raced for his age and I believe unexposed over fences. There’s definitely a big field handicap in this horse and his form so far in his career shows this, with form figures of 183P55 in fields of 14 or more. This includes his win at the 2016 Cheltenham festival when an impressive winner of the Martin Pipe off 139. With three efforts in novice chases at the back end of 2016, one of which was when no match for the mighty Thistlecrack, he was aimed at the Cheltenham Festival once again when a 12/1 shot in the Ultima Handicap Chase over 3m1f, but he’s failed to stay the 3m trip before and did so again that day. Once again, he was aimed at the Cheltenham Festival but this time with much less preparation, having been off the track for over 320 days, he ran in a prep at Newbury beaten 45 lengths but left that form well behind when a decent 5th in the Close Brothers Novice Handicap Chase. That doesn’t tell the full story however, as he was staying on strongly up the hill I a share of 3rd/4th when he failed to pick up a hoof and basically walked through the last. I’m of the opinion he would have powered up the hill and been a close 3rd, as the horses he was close to in Rather Be and Mister Whitaker fought out the finish. That was off a mark of 141 and he’s definitely well handicapped around that mark, as shown when winning the Martin Pipe off 139. Nicholls then again(stop doing it Paul!) tried him up in trip at Aintree but he failed to stay the 3m1f trip won by the impressive Thomas Patrick.
Ibis De Rheu has only had the 7 chase starts spread out over 2 season and still remains a novice, due to the high quality races he’s been running in. He’s only 7 though and with his chase mark now lingering on 139(7lb lower than hurdle) he can definitely land a handicap this year, especially if seen at mid trips at Cheltenham with races such as the Bet Victor Gold Cup & Close Brothers races to be aimed at.
CALL A CAB
5yo BG (Beneficial x Old Vic)
Trainer; Pat Fahy
Owner; JP McManus
Form; 54153-
Official rating; 124
Call A Cab is the first horse owned by JP McManus to make the list and despite a lot making the shortlist I thought best to keep his string down to a minimum however Call A Cab is one I am majorly interesting in for the upcoming season. Making his debut at Navan in December he wasn’t knocked about in a fairly decent maiden hurdle & while he wasn’t fancied at 33/1 he did show promise and made eyecatching late headway. A 4th placed finish at Fairyhouse followed when attempting to chase future G1 winner Dortmund Park, only for him to fade after the last but the race has worked out with multiple winners. Call A Cab got off the mark at the third attempt under Barry Geraghty at Punchestown with a strong finishing effort dropped to 2m. Icario in 2nd and Scheu Time in 4th have both win since to further boost his form and the way he won that I would have no worries with him back up in trip. His final start came at the Punchestown festival in the JLT handicap hurdle (88-123) where he ran a stormer to finish 3rd of 25. Neverrushacon finished a place ahead in 2nd, a horse who was running off a hurdle mark near 30lb below his chase mark & the winner Park Paddocks was an impressive winner for the Elliot/Kennedy combination. Call A Cab should improve for a summer in the field and hopefully will grow into his huge frame as he is your typical embryonic chaser and shaped like one last season. A huge raw baby with just 5 runs under rules so far there should be plenty of improvement left in him.
Being a full brother to Mala Beach(G2 winner at 3m, 2nd in a Thyestes & winner of a Troytown) & Bonny Kate(3rd Troytown x2, 3rd in National Trial) I have no doubts that Call A Cab will improve up in trip & would also improve for a fence especially with his size and scope. If connections do decide to go novice chasing, big field 3m handicaps at the Dublin Racing Festival, Punchestown & Fairyhouse would be of major interest especially if running considerately over shorter trips in Beginner Chases. If they decide to stay over hurdles then I’m sure he will get his head infront off his current mark of 124.
“It’s great to get that. He’s fairly backward, big and awkward and is a chaser really. He’s a giant of a horse and will take time,. We’ll give him a bit of time after this as I know he’ll go light, and then find a winners’ race. The main thing is he’s going in the right direction, and he will definitely want further on better ground.”. P A Fahey
THE LAST OF THEM
6yo BG (Kayf Tara x Marello)
Trainer; Tom Lacey
Owner; Mr & Mrs W J Williams
Form; 0P0-
Official rating; N/A
The Last Of Then will probably be the lowest rating of my horses to follow but I definitely think he’s worthy of a place in your trackers. Bred to be a smart national hunt type, being by Kayf Tara out of multiple G2 winning mare Marello who reached a mark of 164 after two top successes over 3m. He is a half brother to multiple winners including Cue to Cue, 130 over 2m4-3m & Accordello, 130-135 over 2m4-3m. The Last Of Them was sent off 15/2 in a very good bumper at Newbury which included the likes of Tidal Flow & Burrows Edge & has since been a disappointment over obstacles. Both runs have been on testing conditions over 2m-2m3 but they were both incredibly hot novice hurdles. At Chepstow he was prominent for much of the race but faded late, with the top 4 rated 132, 127, 122 and 127, the race is working out well too. His second novice hurdle came in even better quality, And The New 128, Ravenhill Road 131, Django Django 123, Not That Fuisse 129, French Crusader 126, Euxton Lane 139 & Niblawi 120. The Last Of Them was very weak in the market at 66/1 dropped down to 2m & a change of tactics meant he was held up patiently and never really got involved but at the same time, wasn’t harshly ridden to do so. Having had the 2 maiden runs so far, I would expect him to start off in another 2m novice hurdle before stepping up in trip in handicaps during the season. Lacey did exactly that with a couple of types last season & with his pedigree I would expect to see the best of him at 2m4f or further. Going off his runs so far, if he was to under perform again I could see him running off an opening mark between 95-105 and he be of massive interest in handicaps going forward.
KAPCORSE
5yo BRG (Kapgarde x Angesse)
Trainer; Paul Nicholls
Owner; JP McManus
Form; 4-6761/
Official rating; 128
Kapcorse is a horse I had firmly in mind for handicaps this season believing he had plenty in hand over his mark so while it was nice to see him bolt up at Bangor, it was a little frustrating to see them blow his mark in a weak early season event. Having made his debut in probably the hottest novice hurdle of last year, he shaped very well during the race but showed signs of greenness & immaturity however he was a well fancied 4/1 chance but probably too raw to do himself justice. Of the 17 runners, 8 have won since with Lalor & Kilbricken Storm landing Grade 1 Novice hurdles. 9 of the 17 are rated above 120 now with Thomas Patrick, Ready and Able & Good Man Vinnie all winning multiple handicaps since. Again, on his second run at Newbury he showed signs of greenness and was eventually beaten a fair way but the top 4 were all extremely smart prospects with Lost in Translation & Black Op finishing 1-2 in a Grade 1 Novice at Aintree. He left his novice hurdle form well behind on chase debut at Bangor when bolting up off a mark of 116 with Bryony Frost settling Kapcorse well at the rear and staying on strongly to win going away by 8L, the strapping son of Kapgarde should have no issues following up that win at some point this season despite the handicapper chucking him up 12lb for that emphatic victory. He was still very raw in that Bangor win and a summer in the field should have done him the world of good. Off his mark of 128, I expect Nicholls to find a valuable 0-130/135 novice handicap chase somewhere before perhaps pitching him into better handicaps later in the year, with him being so unexposed over fences & as a horse in general with much more improvement to come.
WHATSWRONGWITHYOU
7yo CHG (Bienamado x Greenfield Noora)
Trainer; Nicky Henderson
Owner; 5 Hertford Street Racing Club
Form; 2/1012/2113-
Official rating; 139
Whatswrongwithyou was a horse I was very keen on last season for novice hurdles and whilst beating and facing some smart rivals, he never quite reached the top level but remains on a very workable mark. From his point to point form behind Invitation Only, he was well fancied to make into a decent hurdler & at Sandown on debut bumped into a potential Graded horse in Ainchea. Whatswrongwithyou was very keen & pulled extremely hard in a slowly run affair and those effects told late on but the pair still pulled clear of the field. Ainchea went on to finish 2nd in a good Listed event & is now rated 139. On his 2nd start he took the scalp of Ok Corral, again with the pair pulling well clear it looked a top affair and that showed with Ok Corral subsequent runs. A 2nd in the Albert Bartlett & a 5th in the Sefton, both G1 affairs, left Ok Corral rated 146 at the end of the season. A demolition job in a third novice followed and he was them chucked into the Imperial Cup, off 139 he looked very well handicapped and the market spoke having gone off the 10/3 favourite.
Nothing went right in the race, he didn’t get the best of cover and was still keen despite the hood and he was badly hampered for room 3 from home & lost ground recovering, still, he made late headway in the testing conditions and despite not getting close to the front 2, did plug on for 3rd. The form of that race is exceptional, winner Mr Antolini went close to winning the Sussex Champion Hurdle and is now +8lb higher. Second, Call Me Lord, hosed up in a Grade 2 on his next start while the 6th, Silver Streak, won the Swinton G3 handicap on his next start & is +6lb higher. The good form boosts don’t stop there, 5th Man Of Plenty finished 2nd in a big field Punchestown handicap, 7th Fidux & 10th Highway One One both won their next starts & 9th Balko finished 2nd next time out. Whatswrongwithyou has obviously been left on his mark of 139 & considering his beating of OK Corrall, now 146 and other strong novice form I definitely think he can take a handicap this year although connections may want to go novice chasing with him considering his point to point form.
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ADMIRAL BARRATRY
5yo BG (Soldier Of Fortune x Haskilclara)
Trainer; Nick Williams
Owner; Robert Forster
Form; 2-U52
BAKMAJ
6yo BRG (Balko x Myralienne)
Trainer; Alan Fleming
Owner; Barry Connell
Form; 210/322
Official rating; N/A
Bakmaj is a horse I’ve had my eye on for a while in the hope he may be saved for handicaps and this looks likely after a few nice hurdle runs. Having made his debut for Peter Fahey at the Leopardstown meeting at Christmas he was subsequently sold to Barry Connell and transferred to Alan Flemings stable. The form of that bumper is strong as he was only just beaten by Carter McKay(138), but finished well clear of the 3rd Moyross(132). Bakmaj had no issues getting off the mark at the second attempt when winning emphatically and was then a solid 14 of 22 in the Champion Bumper, a race that has thrown up multiple smart horses.
His first try over hurdles was at Punchestown when on the face of it, a disappointing 3rd however he travelled like much the best horse in the race, mullered the final flight and was not given a harsh ride in the run in on what was his first run for 15 months. His second effort at Listowel was a case of bumping into one, as the winner Quick Grabim scooted clear & has since won a G3 by 5 lengths too. Bakmaj was the only horse to go with Quick Grabim and that included some solid yardsticks in behind such as Debuchet. Stepped up in trip at Galway, once again Bakmaj seemed to be unlucky in the rivals he faced with a very decent novice event on the card. Sancta Simona was majorly impressive for Willie Mullins & after being a little outpaced, Bakmaj stayed on strongly at the finish suggesting a step up in trip would be to his advantage. In his last two maiden hurdles, he’s finished 2nd with the margins back to 3rd being 13L and 3.25L. After those 3 efforts he should be given a handicap mark and with some big prizes on offer throughout the season I would be surprised if he was saved for something big. A big field and mid range trip should bring out the best in him and the handicapper could let him into handicaps off a nice mark having been beaten in all three hurdle starts so far. Considering the same connections plotted Tully East to place in the Martin Pipe and then win the Close Brothers at the Cheltenham Festival, I wonder if the same will be tried with Bakmaj this season.
BENATAR
6yo BG (Beneficial x Carrigeen Lily)
Trainer; Gary Moore
Owner; Ashley Head
Form; 1424/113-4
Official rating; 149
A decent hurdle campaign ended up with Benatar finishing 4th in the G1 Mersey at Aintree behind some exceptional rivals including Finians Oscar & he always promised to make up into a smart chaser. He made an absolute mockery of 142 when bolting up on his first run at Ascot, and win over Keeper Hill(subsequent G2 winner) followed. He was chucked into G2 company himself when facing Finians Oscar at Ascot & proved immensely tough in the finish managing to hold off Colin Tizzards charge, who went on to win the G1 Manifesto at Aintree himself.
Benatar was then tried in the JLT a Cheltenham and was way too keen to do himself justice, it was an astonishing run in the context of things because he was slightly outpaced at a stage, hit the last and then rallied back up the hill. The race is working out amazingly with Kemboy in 4th just behind, bolting up in a G3 & a Grade A handicap at the Punchestown festival off 147. 5th Finians Oscar won a G1 next run, 7th Bigmatre won a G2 next time out, 2nd hosed up in the G1 Mildmay at Aintree and the winner Shattered Love has finished 2nd & 5th in two more G1s. That means the ratings of the JLT field are now; 1st 153(+7 fillies allowance so 160), 2nd 158, 3rd 149, 4th 157, 5th 156, 6th 144, 7th 149, 8th 154. As you can see, Benatar in 3rd off 149 looks very well handicapped. His first run this season came in a very good intermediate chase at Newton Abbot where he faced the tough task of giving 6lb to rivals, and whilst he shaped well, he was way too keen to do himself any justice in the finish. A packet big field handicap could be exactly the type of race to bring out some improvement in him this season.
ROBIN ROE
7yo BG (Robin des Champs x Talktothetail)
Trainer; Olly Murphy
Owner; Barbara Hester
Form; 21/11F
Official rating; 137
Probably the horse I am most excited about this season for handicaps as I think his mark is so so lenient. A smart p2p graduate, Dan Skelton couldn’t speak highly enough of him and he duly delivered on hurdle debut when running away with a very useful looking novice hurdle at Aintree. He couldn’t have been more impressive, his jumping was slick, he travelled like a top class individual and he just powered away after the last making good horses look useless. No Comment was beaten 12L, he won his next 3 and ended the season rated 145 with huge runs at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown. The 3rd, Tintern Theatre, beaten 17L is now rated 137. Robin Roe smashed those as if doing a piece of work at home against sellers. From that debut victory, he was targeted at the G1 a hallow at Newbury and sent off a very well supported 7/4 favourite against more experienced rivals. Robin Roe was waited with as usual and just as the pressure was turned up and the race kicked in, he fell quite heavily at the 3rd last. It’s too far out to say what would have happened but I believe he would have gone close with how strongly he stayed on debut. He missed the rest of the season and all of the 2017/2018 season but is now back in training and has switched to Olly Murphy’s stable along with the rest of owner Barbara Hester’s string. With Olly’s superb record first time out and a handicap mark of 137, I cannot wait to see Robin Roe as I think a decent sized field handicap will play to his strengths especially off a mark I think is very lenient!
DINGO DOLLAR
6yo CHG (Golden Lariat x Social Society)
Trainer; Alan King
Owner; Warren, Holmes, Kidner & Wright
Form; 71-4F112
Official rating; 148
Dingo Dollar was a horse I really fancied for the 4 miler last season but Alan King(annoyingly for my antepost bets!) probably did the right thing in skipping the race considering it was testing ground and him being only 6. His form over hurdles was so so and even his first few efforts over fences, as he was quite keen and a bit of a sloppy jumper however his form completely took to a new level at Newbury when he hosed up by 15L beating a decent enough field. He then won a small field but high quality novice chase under a penalty, again making all and jumping with more confidence. His final run last season was easily his best when attempting to make all in the £100,000 Novice Handicap Chase on the Scottish National card at Ayr, he travelled and jumped impeccably however bumped into a very well handicapped Irish raider. Dingo Dollar was game infront and never stopped as the pair pulled clear but he was just beaten in the end. Now connections have figured out how best to ride Dingo Dollar, I expect him to be able to take a decent handicap chase this season off his mark. A race such as the Hennessy(or now Ladbrokes Trophy) would be right up his street and there’s no doubt he should improve again this year being only a 6 year old.
ST STEPHENS GREEN
7yo BG (Diamond Green x Lily Shing Shang)
Trainer; Emmet Mullins
Owner; Mrs A F Mee
Jumps form; 71244/21F90/1-15
Official rating; Chase N/A, Hurdle 131
St Stephens Green is a superb dual purpose horse who’s spent much of the seasons so far on the flat, running in top quality handicaps including last time out when 3rd to Limini off 86. Previously his hurdle form was average but he did improve when bolting up in a Grade A handicap at Killarney off 121. He won that with an absolute tonne in hand and was even eased down, so even off his new hurdle mark of 131 he could potentially still be well handicapped. This summer he’s had the two chase starts so far, when impressively winning a beginners chase at Galway, form of which has been boosted with the 2nd Winter Escape winning by 11L next time out. They tried St Stephens Green in a G2 Novice at Roscommon and while the result may look disappointing, he was travelling well and closing in before landed all wrong on the 2nd from home and that stopped any momentum. While he’s not been given a chase mark after the 2 runs, he could potentially end up on a very nice mark if connections decide to run him in a similarly difficult novice chase next time out. With his flat mark 86 and hurdle mark 131, a chase mark of 122-130 could look lenient for a big field handicap later down the line. His big field form is strong with 4th/28, 9th/17, 1st/18, 3rd/20, 1st/13, 1st/15 and 3rd/16 to his name. Big field handicap over Christmas or perhaps the Dublin Racing Festival could be on the agenda but equally they could look to revert him back to hurdles off his mark.
WESTERN RYDER
6yo BG (Westerner x Seesea)
Trainer; Warren Greatrex
Owner; Bryan Drew & Albatross Club
Form; 121253/U114265
Official rating; 145
One of the more obvious ones on the list, Western Ryder took his smart bumper form(5th Cheltenham, 3rd Aintree) and transformed that into decent novice hurdle form last year. Let’s ignore the unseat at 1/6f firstly, he won a run of the mill novice hurdle at Chepstow but it’s the run at Cheltenham that jumps off the page. He powered up the hill under a strong Dicky Johnson ride and pulled clear of two smart horses in Lalor and Summerville Boy, those two have since won the G1 Supreme Novice and G1 Top Novices and are now rated 156 & 149. Western Ryder beat them comfortably and is sat on a mark of 145.
Western Ryder has been winless in 4 subsequent runs however there has been excuses, Sandown in the Tolworth as brutal ground and at Huntingdon in a Listed event he bumped into a G1 animal in Vinndication but pulled miles clear of the rest. In the Supreme he was carried wide by a horse, hampered and lost ground but still stayed on strongly up the Cheltenham hill once again past beaten horses. At Aintree in the G1 Mersey Novices Hurdle, he was travelling as well as any other horse in the race with a decent chance when absolutely crunching 4 out losing all momentum. He was still in with a chance but the mistake took its toll and the finishing effort wasn’t there. Western Ryder has now ran very well in two G1s and off a mark of 145 could be very well handicapped considering he’s had excuses in those races. His main aim early on should be the Greatwood back at Cheltenham and I can see him going close in that considering how he’s finished previously at the course. A very strongly ran 2m should be right up his street and he may even get further in time.
On The Hunt 