Selections - Saturday 22nd December

Rain has meant we will see more of the testing ground we have seen in recent weeks, both Ascot and Haydock are heavy whilst Newcastle has been forced to abandon their card. I am struggling to find any real value so it's not much of a betting day for me.

Raya Star takes the Ladbroke Hurdle last year under a brilliantly timed Wayne Hutchinson ride

Ascot

12:55 - Foundation Developments Novices Handicap Hurdle

This race will ultimately take some getting for these novice hurdlers, young horses having to slog 3 miles around Ascot on testing ground will sort them out. De La Bech will be a popular choice after his impressive 20 length victory at Lingfield last month, he appeared to revel in the heavy ground and looks to be a horse who can defy his mark off 118. The stable hasn't been in great form but had a winner here yesterday. Another horse on the upgrade is Okafranca, Jim Old's gelding has made a solid return after injury and has been raised 8lb for his latest win at Taunton which looks fair. 110 looks workable, he is also a 7 going 8 year old so has the benefit of physical and mental maturity over some of his rivals here, that is a huge plus in the testing ground. Cheat The Cheater looks to be getting better as he matures and will probably make the shake up as Kaylif Aramis and Koultas King have been running consistently but finding one or two too good, I think that will be the story again here. Wings Of Icarus was heavily supported for a handicap hurdle at Sandown last month, David Pipe has stepped him up to 3 miles which should assist as he appeared to get outpaced. He has strong claims. Call Me Sir has rose 34lb in the handicap from 69 to 103 since the summer, he is on a career high mark here and may get found out. Cornish Ice made a pleasing comeback after injury but probably will probably find the heavy ground hard work on his second start back, fitness may be an issue. A tentative selection goes to Highland Retreat, he is a winning Irish pointer and looks to be a bit of a slow plodder, but that is what this race will require and I fancy him to stay. The form of his last run isn't too bad either, Midnight Appeal has gone and ran well at Cheltenham being Coneygree and Return Spring is no mug. Jack Barber is a decent conditional, his 7lb claim is very valuable here. He looks over priced at 14/1 and has strong each-way claims.

Advice - Highland Retreat 1pt EW @14/1 Bet365

2:00 - Long Walk Hurdle

Master Of The Hall - Needs a trip and on the basis
 of his best chase form, could be overpriced

Obviously the defection of Big Bucks to injury has made this race much more of a betting heat than it originally was. Smad Place was very disappointing at Wetherby on his comeback run, having travelled strongly he found nothing and weakened into a tame 3rd. Alan King has stated he wasn't happy with the grey when he got back to the yard so something may of been a miss. His form figures at Ascot read 1,2 so he goes at the track and must be better for his Wetherby effort, it must be remembered that Tidal Bay has gone to be runner-up in the Hennessy and Crack Away Jack didn't disgrace himself behind Oscar Whiskey at Cheltenham last week. He is only a 5 year old so there is still improvement to come and if he reproduces the form that saw him finish 3rd in the World Hurdle last year, he will be hard to beat here. On that form 2/1 contains a bit of value to me, particularly as most of his rivals are not regulars in this sphere and have something to prove. Trustan Times is definitely a horse on the upgrade after his win in the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock, on that form he has merited a step up in class. We will find out where he stands here, he will go in ground and he will stay. I would say he looks a solid bet and he has every chance, 11/4 on what he has achieved is a tad short though in my opinion. Prospect Wells takes a big step-up in trip which I don't like on the heavy ground. Undoubtedly one of the classiest horses in the race, that may be blunted as I can see this becoming a bit of a slog, there looks to be pace in the race with a couple of confirmed front runners and whether he will stay 3 miles is a doubt in my mind. Those front runners are Kayf Aramis and Cucumber Run who both look to be slightly out of their depth here, they are likely to set the race up for the more classy horses. I understand Reve De Sivola has a decent chance based upon his 2nd to Big Bucks at Newbury but I can't be having him at 9/2. Master Of The Hall only goes in small fields and is difficult to place, he is reverted back to hurdles here and on the pick of his chase form is has a chance. Tony McCoy has got on well with him in the past and the fact Geraghty has sided with stablemate Cucumber Run is of interest. 8/1 represents a bit of value to me.

Advice - Smad Place - 1pt Win @9/4 Stan James

Master Of The Hall - 1pt Win @8/1 William Hill

3:10 - Ladbroke Hurdle

Cause Of Causes looks overpriced at 16/1
 based upon his solid form

Wow this is a competitive renewal! 6 reappear from The Racing Post Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, including 5 of the first 6 home, consequently the race will provide a significant form line for this. It would be appropriate to start with the winner Olofi, the 136 mark that defied him on numerous occasions last year was overcome to record a 2 length victory - he was cut up turning for home and possibly could have won by further. He has been raised 8lb to 144 which looks workable, he has obviously improved for the summer and defying this mark here is feasible. I worry slightly he's going right handed, only gone right handed once in career and there is a possibility those behind last month have got a pull at the weights here. At 14/1 earlier in the week he represented some value, but at 9's that value is all but gone. Cash And Go was runner-up to Olofi and has been raised 4lb for that effort, 145 looks a very workable mark based on what we saw last time out and he has strong claims to go one better here. Barry Geraghty has chosen him out of Nicky Henderson's 4 entries. Balder Succes is currently favourite at 6/1 generally and bids to take the honours for the King yard once again, his best form is on soft so ground conditions should be ideal. It is likely he has plenty of improvement in him as he is only 4, he has abundances of class and does a lot of work on the bridle. Whether he has more much improvement beyond his 147 mark is yet to be seen but he has obvious claims and won't be far away in my opinion, he is a little short based upon what he has achieved but the untapped potential is there to be seen. It's A Gimme ran a cracker to be second to Raya Star here last month, readers will know I'm not a huge fan and the fact he has never raced on anything worse than good to soft is a worry, he may well act on it but I wouldn't be prepared to take the chance. Coming back from an injury is always a concern and at 9/1 Ranjaan represents little value. He is obviously talented and is French bred so should go on the ground, but this is a big ask on his comeback run. Cause Of Causes looks overpriced to me at 16/1, he was just over a length behind Cash And Go at Cheltenham and is 9pts bigger in price. I know he stayed on into 3rd and never looked like winning, but he has only gone up 3lb which looks fair to me and I think he has more strong each-way claims here. His defeat by a head in the Galway Hurdle was also a cracker. Rattan was 6th at Cheltenham but was never really in the race, he was staying on late but retains his mark of 142 which looks high enough. Double Ross was an impressive winner of the Intermediate Hurdle at the Open Meeting before running creditably at Haydock when carrying a penalty in a competitive hurdle, he hit the wall that day after the last which is a worry. This is more competitive and his handicap mark now stands at 142, that's 5lb higher than Haydock and although he will go in the ground, he may have found his level. Into Wain gets in off a feather weight after being unlucky to go down to an inspired Petit Robin at Sandown, I thought he as all over the winner that day and he must have a chance again here. Bothy ran another cracker at Cheltenham to finish 4th, he has been raised even further to 142 which looks plenty high enough, however Patrick Corbett has proved his worth and his 7lb claim is very valuable. Effectively running off a mark of 135 is a pound below the mark he finished 2nd in the Betfair Hurdle off. At 28/1 I think he's massively over priced and is likely to be placed once again. A worry is he has very rarely gone right handed. Petit Robin and Dan Breen both look very exposed now as Bar De Ligne, Thomas Edison and First Avenue don't have an adequate level of form that would justify a chance. Princeton Plains has a 7lb higher mark in England than Ireland, therefore he looks held here and Urbain De Sivola's form is hard to make sense of as it's all in France. He goes there to get the testing ground which he will find tomorrow, the only way I can judge him is his effort in the Triumph last year where he was 12th, although he is only 4 and could be unexposed. Rigidity (dark horse to follow) has been novice chasing but has been a tad disappointing, he reverts back to hurdles here and is off the same mark he was second last year. Returning to the scene of his best effort to date could rekindle the fire, but as one of his supporters I feel this isn't his day. Lyvius was a batting winner of the Gerry Fielden last month and looks to be on the upgrade. Rock On Ruby won that race at Newbury before going onto Champion Hurdle glory, I'm not saying this horse has that quality but he looks unexposed and fits the mould of the type of horse that wins this race. Barry Geraghty said there wasn't a lot between him and Cash And Go when it came to his decision. Jeremiah McGrath is a top conditional and his 5lb claim only boosts his claims, he has form on testing ground in Germany so that shouldn't be a problem either. I have backed him at 11/1 earlier in the week but wouldn't be having him at 9's which he is currently.

Advice - Lyvius - Win @11/1 (Ante-Post)
Cause Of Causes - 1pt EW @16/1 Majority
Bothy - 0.5pt EW @28/1 Bet Fred

Other horses of interest:
Desert Cry
Ulck Du Lin
Notarfbad (Eyecatcher)

Cheers,

Josh

@JoshRWDown

THE REVIEW 13/10/2012 - Super Saturday Selections

On a day where my 7 selections yielded 4 winners, 1 second and 2 unplaced, you would of thought I may have more money in my pocket now than I did at this time yesterday? Your'e incorrect. I hope you readers wallets are fatter than mine right now!

Reckless Abandon - Win 9/4
Clive Cox's colt was extremely brave in victory to claim the Middle Park Stakes. I was a bit worried when he was extremely keen when going down to post, but he is a quirky individual and this sort of behaviour doesn't seem to hinder him. Top jockey Gerald Mosse gave him a great ride, his shrewd tactical move to break quickly and get over to the rail from his wide draw effectively won him the race. I'm so happy Reckless Abandon's normal jockey Adam Kirby decided to jump off him and hop onto second placed finisher Moohaajm, would rather have Mosse on board any day of the week - he's class! Talk about a tilt at the 2000 Guineas next spring is absurd in my opinion. He has bags of speed, so why blunt that weapon by stepping him up in distance? He is a sprinter, no arguments. Last words on the race, unlucky Adam Kirby!!!

Dawn Approach

Dawn Approach - Win 2/5
Easiest race to watch all day. Never had any worries from start to finish. He's not the most flashy, but he's impressive in his own way. He was 6-1 ante-post with Paddy Power for the 2000 Guineas next year before the race, to my amazement he is now 7-2! I don't think that's a great ante-post bet. There are other 2 year olds who have also caught my eye this year, it looks a talented crop and there is plenty of maturing to be done between now and next May. I'm very sweet on last weeks Longchamp victor Olympic Glory. He appears to be the best of Richard Hannon's many talented 2 year olds and represents much better value at 16/1 than Dawn Approach at 7-2. However, I think Dawn Approach is a very serious prospect for next season and could well justify his 7-2 price next May. The fact he is never visually impressive is probably influencing my argument but I see no reason why he couldn't emulate his Dad (New Approach) by becoming the top 3 year old colt next year.

Countrywide Flame

Countrywide Flame - Second 7/1
I am still annoyed by this race. I think he was a tad unlucky in defeat but I cannot fault the horse, he was very brave in defeat. He was given a super ride by Jimmy Quinn who at 2 furlong pole had given the gelding every chance of victory. He just couldn't get passed Kieren Fallon and Aaim To Prosper who you have to give credit to, the first horse to win the Cesarewitch twice is some feat! I think Countrywide Flame was hindered by the winner hanging into him in the last 2 furlongs, it was a major factor in explaining why he couldn't get passed him. When the front one straightened up my lad was running on again to only be beaten 1/2 length. If he had a fair run at it the placing would have surely been reversed. In fairness to Fallon he had his whip in the correct hand so you can't fault his jockeyship, it's just very frustrating. I'm going to stop talking about this now as I can feel the steam starting to gather in my ears.

Fingal Bay - Win 4/6
I said he was value at even money and I still think he was value at 4/6. He jumped impeccably and won a very cosy length. Although the race wasn't much of a contest after Poungach fell at the first, Richard Johnson seemed comfortable the whole way round and was more than happy to lob along in front. He idled in front and the threat from Tiger O'Toole was never a serious one, but don't underestimate the runner-up, he was rated 137 over hurdles. All in all, a good start and a nice way to blow away the cob webs. His next target will be a novice chase at Wincanton or at the Open Meeting next month.

Hinterland

Hinterland - Win 11/8
The easiest winner of the day! He was very impressive and one of the smoothest successes you will see all year. Those of you who read my blog about Hinterland  ( My Hinterland Blog can be found at : http://thehorseracingblog1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-season-of-promise-for-hinterland.html.) will know I thought this horse was a fantastic jumper and he proved me right today, he was as slick as you like. He will make a cracking novice chaser later in the year. I also tipped Red Riverman from the Twiston Davies yard each way at 33/1, he ran on to finish second but he wasn't carrying my money - bollocks I got a 100% return on the Hinterland win but could have had over 700% return on Twisty`s gelding ! I will gain some compensation if he was carrying yours though! Feel free to contact me through twitter if this is the case, I'm sure you'll love basking in my failures :)!

Ulis De Vassey - Unplaced 11/2
I was quids in if this horse had come home in front, unfortunately it was not to be. I didn't know much about the horse and took the punt because he was at the bottom of the handicap and unexposed. I suggested in my blog that previous winners in the race were very lightly weighted, I obviously picked the wrong one. The winner, Kitegen, carried 10-8. Oh well. When you back an unexposed horse they either normally make the shake up or are tailed off like Ulis De Vassy was here. That's the punt you take, we move on!

Golden Chieftain - 10/1 Unplaced
I really really fancied this horse! Everything about it smelt right, having backed the horse on Friday afternoon at 10/1, when I looked at the prices this morning to see the Tizzard horse at 4/1 I thought I was onto something. It was an odd race. He hit a fence badly halfway down the back on their last circuit and lost his place as a result. Joe Tizzard appeared to give him an easy time afterwards, he ran on in the end to finish 5th staying on past tired horses.  It was an eye-catching run in that it felt like a prep run for a future race? I think so, perhaps the Welsh National. Watch this one closely!

Other horses on the day that I took note of were: Handazan, Regal Encore, Far West and Rigidity.

Rigidity

The Tim Vaughan trained Rigidity ran an eye-catching race yesterday in a 2 mile novice chase at Hexham. He is one of my 10 really dark horses to follow this year and it was decent effort on ground that was far from ideal. Although it was very heavy, he finished 5th and jumped pretty nicely. I think it was a nice sighter for him and there is more to come in the future.

suggested Handazan was a 'sit and watch' horse and that ended up being the case. He was very novicy at his hurdles and appears to lack experience, I suspect the run will have done him the world of good. Give him time because he may progress with more experience to be quite smart. My thoughts on Handazan can be found at  http://thehorseracingblog1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/juvenile-to-follow-handazan.html.

Handazan's conqueror, Far West from the Paul Nicholls stable, looked to be very smart too. The soft ground at Chepstow seemed to be to his liking as his action would suggest that he prefers some cut in the ground. His previous experience over hurdles was obviously to his benefit. Where Handazan's jumping was scratchy, this horse was foot perfect and he simply  'out-jumped' the Alan King trained colt. Far West looks like he may progress into a really smart horse and you would expect him to compete in top quality novice hurdles later in the year. He excites me.

Anthony Honeyball - Can Regal Encore Put Him On The Map?

If anyone missed the bumper at Chepstow, you missed out big time! The Anthony Honeyball trained Regal Encore absolutely hacked up. Jesus! He was mightily impressive. Recently purchased by JP Mcmanus, the mount of AP McCoy was simply far far far too good for his rivals. Rebecca Curtis ran Amifunnyyet in the race which she interestingly rates as one of the best horses she's ever had, whilst Paul Nicholls was represented by Mcllhatton in what was a relatively hot bumper. The winner looks something extra special though and has the potential to be one of the best bumper horses around this year. His next target may be the bumper at the Open Meeting as Honeyball wants to test the gelding in better company, looking further ahead he will be aimed at the championship bumpers in the spring. I think it's brilliant that a small trainer like Anthony Honeyball has a horse of this calibre in their yard, it's also brilliant the horse is owned by a big owner, it can only be good for racing. Regal Encore may be the horse to put Anthony Honeyball on the map, after today you would suggest he will! If you haven't seen the race, you need to get onto the Attheraces website and have a watch!! Immediately.

Any comments or views? Contact me through twitter: @JoshRWDown

The Horse Racing Blog Ten REALLY Dark Horses To Follow National Hunt Season 2012/2013

In this post I will look to inform you about horses I feel have properly gone under the radar for the coming season. I think they could cause a splash at some point this winter and I hope they can all win us a few quid!

1. Broadbackbob

Highly talented novice hurdler last year who was thought of as a serious 2 mile 5 furlong Neptune Novice Hurdle contender. Bought from a small Irish trainer at the beginning of last year after a 6th place finish in the Aintree Champion Bumper the previous Spring, Broadbackbob started life in England with two very easy victories. His first was at Ascot in November over 2 miles where he stayed on better than subsequent Supreme Novice Hurdle winner Cinders And Ashes to beat him by a comfortable length. Highly rated Paul Nicholls novice hurdler Ted Spread was back in 4th. His second came at Newbury in December. He sauntered home to destroy the opposition by 11 lengths over 2 miles 3 furlongs defeating promising hurdlers Polisky and Carrigmorna King. Carrigmorna King was second to Ambion Wood in the European Breeders Fund novice hurdle final at Sandown the last Saturday before the Festival later in the season. His next target was the Neptune Novices Hurdle Trial on Festival Trials day at Cheltenham in January. Going off a short priced favourite at 13-8 he was unlucky to finish second. Having travelled into the race like the winner he jumped the last in front and stumbled badly on landing losing momentum. Batonnier was able to pick up the pieces and charge up the finishing hill to best effect to defeat Broadbackbob by 3 lengths. It was later revealed that Broadbackbob had chipped a hock while racing at Cheltenham and that would go some way to explaining why he hung left the whole way up the run-in that day. Finishing a 3 length second was a pretty good effort with all things considered. Unfortunately, the injury meant he was out for the season. If he had made his target at the Festival I'm convinced he wouldn't have sniffed Simonsig, but think he would have probably been placed. The plan is to go novice chasing this winter. I think he is a welcome recruit to the novice chase ranks and he could feature in many of the main races this season. He is my idea of the the 2 mile 5 furlong Jewson Novice Chase winner currently, but I would expect that 2 1/2 miles is about as far he would want to go. He has shown he has plenty of speed to win races over 2 miles so dropping back to the shortest trip is also an option. However, Nicky Henderson is potentially double handed in those ranks with Simonsig and Tetlami maybe going novice chasing too this year. I would like to think he is more than good enough to mix it with the very best novice chasers this season without maybe being quite good enough to take on the Simonsigs of this world.

2. Hollow Tree

Brave, tough, game, never give up-er. All words to describe a horse that could take up the mantle of being the new 'Lough Derg'. Hollow Tree was a new recruit off the flat to Donald McCain last year and proved not to be the most talented of last years juveniles, but Jesus he was genuine in defeat. Whatever was asked of him he duly did his best and you couldn't help but admire the horse! He was progressive last year. After running a solid enough race in defeat behind Hinterland at the Open Meeting in November, he went and won the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Chepstow. Behind him in 2nd that day was subsequent Triumph Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame. His next task was a bit more difficult when competing in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Festival Trials Day. In hindsight, the race had massive strength in depth with classy animals such as Grumeti, Pearl Swan and Baby Mix all entered. Once again Hollow Tree ran a really solid race to finish third beaten 3 1/2 lengths. In the actual event two months later Hollow Tree briefly lead as they turned for home after squeezing up the inside of Sadlers Risk. As was the case all year the better horses had another gear and accelerated past him but he plugged on for 7th beaten a total of 10 lengths. I would imagine handicapping will be his game next year. He currently has a rating of 142. I wouldn't be surprised if he is running off a winnable mark. Sadlers Risk who beat him 3/4 length at Cheltenham is rated 148. I don't think he is 6 pounds better than Hollow Tree, he wasn't even a length better than him in the Triumph Hurdle.

3. Teelin Star

I don't know much about this horse. However, I do know he was seriously hot property in the Irish point to point ranks. In the Champion Point to Point Bumper at the Fairyhouse Festival, where previous winners include Simonsig and Last Instalment, he was sent off a red hot favourite at odds of 8-11. The market confidence came after two victories earlier in the season which he had won by a distance and they sounded very very impressive. He was all the rage going into the race at Fairyhouse but wasn't in the shake up. After the amount of market confidence, he flopped horrendously and was beaten 20 lengths into 8th. He got his career back on track with a win at the Listowel Festival the other day. He made all and was never challenged. He wasn't a runaway winner, but he was a very easy 3 length winner from Sam Da Vinci. This horse is a real unknown quantity this year. What he's capable of I don't know. He seems to be a 2 1/2 mile horse but I wouldn't be surprised if he is stepped up to 3 miles, he obviously has winning form in point to points over 3 miles. He has been ridden from the front in his two starts under rules proper and this tells me he stays well. Whether he will stick to bumpers or go novice hurdling is another question I don't know the answer too. The verdict: Keep an eye out. Those guys in the point to point fields are no mugs and know what they're talking about!

4. Baile Anrai

Baile Anrai was a progressive novice chaser last season who I think may have a big handicap win in him at some point this season . Last year he started off as a novice hurdler, his first outing of the season finishing a 'best of the rest' 2nd behind Fingal Bay in the Grade 2 Persian War at Chepstow in October. A decision to head novice chasing was probably made before the season started, his run at Chepstow was designed to blow the cobwebs away and get him race fit for the season. His debut over fences was in the Grade 2 Rising Star Novices Chase at Wincanton. It was a really tough ask and he was about 20 lengths off the pace when he fell at the 4th last, the winner Silviniaco Conti progressed to be a really smart staying novice chaser later in the year. His second and third attempts over fences where much easier tasks and produced two pretty comprehensive victories around Towcester and Leicester. winning by a combined total of 20 lengths. He was then stepped up in class again to renew rivalries with Silviniaco Conti in the Reynoldstown Novice Chase over 3 miles at Ascot. The race was won by Invictus with RSA winner Bob's Worth back in 2nd, Silviniaco Conti was further down the field in 4th. However although Baile Anrai fell at the 4th last, he was right on the coat tails of the main pack, was going well enough and I don't think he would have been out of the picture if he had stood up. In his next run at the Festival in the JLT Speciality 3m handicap chase he ran no sort of race and was a distant 11th beaten 38 lengths. I think the big crowds and the whole occasion in general got to him as he seemed quite buzzy beforehand and he was probably beaten before he set off. Put a line through that run. He finished the season with a very convincing win in a Market Rasen novice chase by 24 lengths, though it wasn't much of a contest. I would imagine he will go handicapping this season. He currently has a rating of 133 and I think he is well in off that mark. At the age of 8 going on 9 I think he has an advantage over other second season chasers as he is probably more mature and this may help him in the hustly bustly handicaps this winter.

5. Wingtips

In the 2012 Triumph hurdle everybody saw the main protagonists at the head of affairs. Countrywide Flame, Grumeti, Dodging Bullets and Hisabaat. But who can name me the horse that finished 5th off the top of their head? The answer is Wingtips. He was an Irish raider trained by Tony Martin at a price of 100-1. While the horses we have all taken notice of headed to Aintree and Punchestown to frank the form. The Punchestown renewal had a certain Wingtips finishing 3rd at 10-1, again running about up to form. Wingtips didn't win a race last year and can still claim his novice status. With another years maturity both physically and mentally Wingtips could be in a position of strength when taking on younger horses with a years experience in the locker. I dont know what Tony Martin has planned for his horse this year. He has a rating of 138, which will mean he will carry weights towards the top end of the handicaps. Hisabaat is a horse that has beaten him twice and is only rated 5 pounds higher at 143, therefore I don't consider him to be well handicapped.This tells me that another year novice hurdling could be on the cards. However, we have seen Tony Martin line up a big handicap win before, with the likes of Dun Doire and Xenophon at the Cheltenham Festival for example. If anyone knows how to find a handicap snip, Tony Martin is at the top of the list. But is Wingtips too highly rated? He may have to lose before he can win next year.

6. Rigidity

Rigidity - Pictured Centre

I think this horse is underrated. He ran some very good races in the most competitive 2 mile handicap hurdles of the year last season. He was second to Raya Star in the Ladbroke handicap hurdle at Ascot, jumping the last near enough in front, Raya Star beat him only half a length. He was then 8th in the Betfair Hurdle behind Zarkandar at Newbury in February. He was bang there at the third last and was just starting to fade at the second last when Darlan's crashing fall severely hampered him and ended all chances of victory. I think he did well to plug on and finish 8th in the end. A stinker in the Martin Pipe at the Festival followed, I don't know why, but he was so bad it was untrue. Something can't have been right. Anyway, I don't think this horse is good enough to be winning Betfair Hurdles and so on, but I do think he may be good enough to win a competitive handicap somewhere else in the season over 2 miles or maybe 2 1/2 miles. His last run at Cheltenham was over 2 1/2 miles and I think this may be his ideal trip as he has been slightly outpaced when the race has hotted up in the 2 mile handicap hurdles. He currently has a rating of 133 and I think off that mark, bearing in mind he still only 5, there is still improvement to come.

7. Grandouet

Just before I start, I have to admit it pains me to reveal my opinion on Grandouet. This is due to my judgement agreeing with one of my racing comrades. I think this is the first time we have seen eye to eye on anything to do with horses, basically because he is a blind follower of the Nicky Henderson yard (although having seen him play cricket, you would understand why he would need to do it blindly!) I also resent the success he had at the Festival last year, but wasn't surprised he wasn't able to tip a winner that wasn't trained by his 'man crush' Mr Henderson. I believe Grandouet to be the forgotten horse of the upcoming national hunt season. He was extremely unlucky to fall at the second last at Wincanton when running all over Celestial Halo in early November last year. Reappearing in an intermediate hurdle at Haydock two weeks later he won doing handstands, pulling effortlessly clear of Marsh Warbler and Rigidity to win by 8 lengths. He was then stepped up in class to compete in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December, a well known Champion Hurdle trial. There was a question mark over the geldings ability to get up the stiff finishing hill at Cheltenham after he appeared to fade away in the Triumph Hurdle the previous March. That was positively swept away with a crushing win when he powered away up the hill to get the better of subsequent Champion Hurdle runner-up Overturn by 4 lengths. The Champion Hurdle proved that fom to be pretty strong. However, I find it debatable how strong it is when you look at the bigger picture. Was this years Champion Hurdle result a true piece of form? It could be argued that it is, but I don't think Rock On Ruby is 5 1/2 lengths better than Hurricane Fly - so I feel the form is quite muddling. Nonetheless, regardless of how good Overturn is, Grandouet could only beat what was put in front of him. The injury he picked up last year to prevent him competing in the Champion Hurdle was obviously very serious. Nicky Henderson was quoted as saying at his owners open day that: 'there had been some scary moments'. Thankfully, it appears he has made a full recovery and if he recaptures the form he was in last year, I see no reason why he can't be a serious contender for the Champion Hurdle crown in 2013.

8. Comeonginger

If Tistory is the highest rated novice hurdler at Nicky Henderson's yard for this upcoming season, Comeonginger fills that position at Paul Nicholl's stables. Owned by Paul Barber, he has won two point to points, never coming off the bridle in the second, his jockey described his win as 'an exercise gallop'. He is a full brother to ill-fated Cheltenham Festival winner Brindisi Breeze. That's about as much as I can tell you to be honest! He's certainly an exciting novice hurdler for the 2012/2013 season.

9. Oscara Dara

Oscara Dara is one of the horses who changed stables after Alan Fleming migrated to Ireland. He was moved to Nicky Henderson's yard and caused a bit of a splash. His last run for Fleming was a second place finish in a relatively hot bumper behind his current stable mate Mono Man. Following a set-back, his debut for Henderson was delayed for just over a year, reappearing at Sandown on the best day of the year (9th March is my birthday) he won very impressively by 20 lengths. For his next task he was stepped up in trip to tackle the best novice hurdlers around last year at the Aintree Festival, where he finished 4th behind stable mates Darlan and Captain Conan. Still relatively fresh he was sent straight to Punchestown for a 2 mile novice hurdle. Sent off a short priced 11-8 favourite he stayed on well to assert on the run-in to score by 3 1/2 lengths. Henderson said on his owners open day that the horse had matured well over the summer, he predicted that he would be much improved this year. The plan is to go novice chasing this winter, behind the stables most promising novices Simonsig and Captain Conan, he probably plays third fiddle. He has plenty of pace but I think a step up in trip will benefit him, he should be a smashing 2 1/2 miler. Nicky Henderson was very positive at his open day: 'If everything goes to plan, he's a very serious prospect'.

10. Samain

Another horse I can't tell you much about I'm afraid! He's won 3 bumpers in Ireland since he joined Willie Mullins after being purchased by Gigginstown Stud. He was a hot prospect for the Champion Bumper the year before last before he picked up an injury. The injury kept him off the track throughout last year but he's expected to return this winter. He's now 6 going on 7 so he will be one of the older horses going novice hurdling this year. A wiser head and advanced physical maturity should help him when competing against his less experienced rivals. He looks like a chaser in the making but whether he will head straight novice chasing this year and skip novice hurdling I don't know. In his bumpers the gelding out-stayed his rivals. He never accelerated away from them to be visually impressive, but was always in total command at the winning post. I just hope his injury wasn't so severe that he will never be able to fulfil his potential.