The nights are beginning to draw in now
and it is coming to the time of the year when the National Hunt game
begins to emerge from the shadow of its Flat season counterpart.
Across the length and breadth of the
nation, the handlers of the jumping scene are training up their
horses in preparation for what promises to be yet another exciting
campaign. Here we will discuss the merits of several trainers’ in
their quest to become the British National Hunt Trainers Champion for
2014/15.
Returning stars key
Leading the current market with Betfair
is Nicky Henderson, who will surely have a huge say in the
destination of this seasons’ title. The Seven Barrows handler has
an extensive team of horses in his stable, but the key to the hopes
of the Henderson yard could well hinge on some of his major stars
returning from injury.
Sprinter Sacre and Simonsig were both
huge players who catapulted Henderson to the top of the jumping
sphere back in 2012/13 with some sparkling performances, but Simonsig
never made a track appearance last term, while Sacre was pulled-up on
his only start at Kempton, behind Sire
De Grugy, who went on to take his Champion Chase crown at
Cheltenham.
While these two horses will not make or
break the chances of the Henderson yard, a return to form for both
would be hugely significant – especially with so many tempting
prizes on offer for Sprinter Sacre at the minimum trip.
Potentially vulnerable
The reigning champion, Paul Nicholls,
will be looking to win his ninth title in the past ten years. With
the likes of Kauto Star, Master Minded and Denman all retired from
the game in recent seasons, combined with the defection of star
jockey Ruby Walsh to the Willie Mullins yard in Ireland, Nicholls is
more vulnerable to the challenges of the rest than ever before.
However, the Ditcheat handler still has many bullets of ammunition to
fire amongst his yard to attempt to maintain his dominance of the
National Hunt game.
Nicholls has always had a promising
group of novices, and with the likes of Irving and Lac Fontana
coupled with stable star Silviniaco Conti, another title bid could
yet be on the cards, but the lack of current top-class stars in the
yard is a major concern, especially at such short odds in the
betting.
Major player
Jonjo
O’Neill is the current – albeit very early – leader of the
trainers’ standings. With the extensive backing of owner JP
McManus, alongside the relentless urge for winners that AP McCoy
brings, the team from Jackdaws Castle may well be a major player this
seasons’ race for the title. O’Neill has plenty of very promising
horses at his disposal, including More of That who claimed the World
Hurdle at Cheltenham in just his fifth race under rules.
Holywell, was also in the winners’ enclosure at the Festival and at Aintree and is one of the market favourites for the Gold Cup next March. Taquin Du Seuil was also a hugely promising novice chaser last term in bagging two Graded races and is also another weapon for the Irish trainer to utilise. Shutthefrontdoor also went into many notebooks for this seasons’ Grand National with his Irish National win at Fairyhouse back in April, which highlights even further the strength of the emerging O’Neill team.
Holywell, was also in the winners’ enclosure at the Festival and at Aintree and is one of the market favourites for the Gold Cup next March. Taquin Du Seuil was also a hugely promising novice chaser last term in bagging two Graded races and is also another weapon for the Irish trainer to utilise. Shutthefrontdoor also went into many notebooks for this seasons’ Grand National with his Irish National win at Fairyhouse back in April, which highlights even further the strength of the emerging O’Neill team.
Best of the rest
David Pipe, Alan King, Phillip Hobbs,
Nigel Twiston-Davies and Donald McCain are all trainers who are held
in very high regard on the National Hunt circuit, but it seems very
unlikely that any of this quintet can seriously challenge the likes
of the above three. All of these trainers will surely have their big
days over the upcoming calendar, but will lack the consistency of
big-prized winners to maintain a serious challenge.
In conclusion
Jonjo O’Neill may yet prove a very
serious threat to the likes of Nicholls and Henderson this season.
With an ever burgeoning yard, alongside some hugely promising talent,
the Jackdaws Castle operation could wrestle the title from their
illustrious rivals – who have some question marks to answer. No
matter who wins the Trainers’ title for 2014/15, it promises to be
yet another fantastic season to look forward to.