With the Flat season drawing to a close and the jumps action ramping up, Matthew Sutcliffe picks out ten National Hunt horses to follow this season, from potential Graded stars to a few well-handicapped types who could fly under the radar.
1. Minella Study – Adam Nicol
Minella Study was flagged as our Triumph Hurdle horse last season following his Trial success at Cheltenham in December. I confess, I absolutely adored everything about this horse last term – a strong traveller and an even more magnificent jumper at speed.
He did little to damage his claims when third in the Triumph Hurdle, and had he had a run in the interim, he might’ve been sharper to get across the line there. The form worked out nicely: the fourth was second in the Aintree 3yo hurdle, with the 2nd and 10th finishing 5th and 3rd respectively, the latter also winning an Auteuil Grade 1, and the ninth landed a Fairyhouse Grade 2 next time out.
Minella Study’s bubble burst at Aintree having never gone a yard from the off, but many of these Study Of Mans take time to come into themselves and I’d suggest Minella Study will progress strongly this season. I’ve no doubt he’ll be a chaser in time, but I suspect connections will keep him to hurdles this season, and perhaps he’ll be campaigned with top handicap hurdles in mind with a view to open Graded contests.
2. Minella Rockett – John Nallen
Like Minella Study, a whole host of smart types graduated from John Nallen’s yard last season and Minella Rockett could be another. Supposedly no one has bought Minella Rockett as of yet, but I suspect that’ll change in the coming weeks, as the New Bay gelding looks another smart sort.
He’s rated 90 on the Flat after taking a competitive Naas handicap and finishing second to an unexposed Joseph O’Brien colt at Punchestown, with the 97-rated ex-Ballydoyle inmate Puppet Master in third.
He won his sole hurdles start at Limerick in July, receiving a 3lb higher RPR than Minella Study did when winning it last season. New Bay has sired several winning jumpers, and Selkirk mares are a prolific source of National Hunt talent. Furthermore, Minella Rockett is from the family of Ebaziyan, who won the 2007 Supreme for Willie Mullins, so he certainly has the pedigree to match his potential on the track.
3. Cristal d’Estruval – Harry Derham
The exciting Cristal d’Estruval missed his intended target of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last season having struggled to get right from a minor injury, but he remains a talented, unexposed prospect and could mark himself out as one of the leading novice chasers this season.
The Crystal Oceans have been highly sought after at the sales, and this one was a neck winner of his sole point-to-point, which saw the second sent off favourite for a Listed bumper at Newbury after winning his first two.
Cristal d’Estruval then beat Baron Noir on hurdles debut, who finished the season rated 146 after hitting the frame in both the Supreme and the Top Novices’ Hurdle. Bossman Jack was fourth there, and he finished the campaign rated 148 after landing the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
Cristal d’Estruval backed that win up with a 38-length success at Carlisle. He’s out of the dual Listed winner Aurore d’Estruval, and could reach the very top this season if returning in good health.
4. Mr Hope Street – Dan Skelton
Mr Hope Street featured in one of our very early GG columns as a horse to follow for the future, and I’m glad he’s now coming to fruition. I thought they sent him chasing a year too late last season, but perhaps he needed another hurdles campaign to fully mature, and he was wonderfully plotted by the Skeltons to land the Freebooter Handicap at Aintree on his final start of the year.
Given that was the only time he was ‘off’, I think a mark of 135 will entirely underestimate him this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the Grand National come April. I’d expect to see him in the Coral Gold Cup.
5. Diamant Dore – Adrian Keatley
Diamant Dore was tipped at 35/1 for the Champion Bumper last season with four places available, so naturally he had absolutely no run through and finished full of running in fifth.
I think this is a seriously talented animal, and if he was trained by a more familiar National Hunt name than Adrian Keatley, he’d be in the conversation for the Festival Grade 1s.
A £125,000 purchase, the son of Martinborough, the sire of Majborough, fell when looking to make a winning point-to-point debut, with the winner going on to score by 18 lengths on bumper debut and winning on his hurdles debut earlier this month.
Diamant Dore won his bumper debut by an impressive 17 lengths, and I’ve no doubt he’d have won the Champion Bumper with a clear run. The form was franked at Punchestown, and I expect to see him contesting Graded events this season.
6. Klimt Madrik – Toby Lawes
Another horse to go under the radar due to his trainer is Klimt Madrik, who’s set to make his chase debut at Worcester on Wednesday. He hit the frame in both his points, before making an eye-catching hurdles debut at Ffos Las.
He reversed the form with the winner there, before finishing second in the Challow to No Drama This End. The fourth won a Kelso Grade 2 thereafter, and Klimt Madrik fared well in the Turners at Cheltenham, finishing two lengths behind Mersey winner Bossman Jack.
He’s a tall, athletic individual by a sire beginning to produce smart sorts, and he can rank highly in the novice chase division.
7. Ryebridge – Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith
It wouldn’t be a horses to follow column from me without a Sue Smith horse, and Ryebridge gets the nod. He proved he had ability when second in a Hexham maiden hurdle, upped in trip last June, behind the now 126-rated Moonbow, and finished four lengths behind Harry Derham’s progressive Cave Bridge on last year’s seasonal debut.
After a subsequent 134-day break, his form read 4141, latterly signing off with a commanding performance in a 0-125 handicap hurdle at Market Rasen, beating the 15/8 Dan Skelton-trained favourite, who won by 15 lengths next time out.
The pair pulled well clear of the third there, and he looks well handicapped off 113 this season.
By Diamond Boy and from the family of the 167-rated Valiramix, I think he’ll be progressive in the chasing ranks.
8. Rices Pool – Ben Pauling
Rices Pool was a €92,000 store purchase in 2024 and subsequently switched hands to Ben Pauling after his point-to-point second.
He landed his bumper debut in strong fashion in February, pulling eight lengths clear of a subsequent winner for Philip Hobbs & Johnson White. He was sent off the 6/4 favourite there and subsequently contested the Aintree Grade 2 bumper, albeit a big ask on just his second start, and finished eighth of 20.
Pauling has had runners well beaten in that race before going on to be smart novices, and in the Diva Luna colours, from the family of 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 2019 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase winner Slate House, he can be a smart type himself for the Pauling yard this season.
9. Upon Tweed – Nicky Richards
Upon Tweed is reportedly back firing ahead of this season and could end up over fences, though he’s likely to return over hurdles.
The Berkshire gelding is unbeaten in three starts under rules and was flagged as a Supreme Novices’ Hurdle candidate prior to injury, but having not been seen since December, he has become a tad forgotten.
Forget him at your peril, however, as he looked to have star quality in each of his victories last year, beginning with an eight-length win on bumper debut at Newcastle, beating the 11/8 favourite and now 135-rated Conman John.
He took his novice hurdle at Ayr by eight lengths despite novicey jumping, and carried a penalty to remain unbeaten back at Ayr with minimal fuss, beating a dual winner for Gordon Elliott. Again, he didn’t look to respect his hurdles there, and I’d be very excited to see him jump a fence.
10. Lisbane Park – Joe Tizzard
Lisbane Park is the epitome of the ‘anything he does over hurdles is a bonus’ cliché. A gorgeous black gelding by Walk In The Park, he was second to Arcadian Emperor in his sole point-to-point, who’s now in the colours of JP McManus for Willie Mullins.
He looked talented when a taking winner of an Exeter novice hurdle on debut that’s been won by the likes of Bravemansgame and Sporting John in the past, and he reminds me of the yard’s Lieutenant Rocco, who was always going to be a better chaser.
He failed to win again, but he had form figures of 4322 and bumped into some smart novices in the process. He holds an entry at Cheltenham on Saturday in a novices’ handicap chase, and I’ll be keeping a very close eye on him this season.