Gerri Colombe a huge threat to Galopin Des Champs in Gold Cup

As jump racing gathers pace, 10 chasers to follow this winter

HUGE THREAT: Gerri Colombe and Mark Foley pictured on the gallops.Pic credit: Healy Racing

1. Sandor Clegane, Age 6,  Trainer: Paul Nolan 

An impolite term often employed in racing to describe an uncourageous horse is a ‘hound.’ Sandor Clegane is an absolute hound but this time, not in a bad way. Named in honour of the oversized warrior from Game of Thrones Sandor Clegane, (nickname: The Hound) Paul Nolan’s gelding is as brave as they come and showed his battleground courage with third place in a gruelling Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles at the Cheltenham Festival. A subsequent win over a shorter trip at Punchestown showed his class and versatility but longer distances will be his forte over fences and his potential is clear.

Ante-post recommendation: National Hunt Chase 16-1 

2. I am Maximus, 7, Willie Mullins 

Another horse named for a fictional warrior, I am Maximus was bought by JP McManus just before he won the lucrative Irish National at Fairyhouse last April in his first start for Willie Mullins. He still has very few miles on the clock and as he’s rated at 157 Mullins is likely to mind his handicap over hurdles, but he could be an ideal type for the Aintree Grand National in the longer term. A solid prospect and could have his glory this year…or the next!

Aintree Grand National: 25-1 

3. El Fabiolo, 6, Willie Mullins 

National Hunt racing is a nailbiting hobby that lives in fear of the next ‘unfortunately.’ Like Willie Mullins a few weeks back: "Unfortunately, Energumene has a hind leg injury and he will probably be out of action for the season." 

Whether we’ll ever see this Rolls Royce of a horse at his best again remains to be seen, but fortunately El Fabiolo looks good enough to fill the hole in the two-mile chasing division. His four wins last season included a demolition of Jonbon in the Arkle and an easy win over stablemate Dysart Dynamo at Punchestown. He looks set for a sequence in all the good Grade One two-mile chases between now and April.

Champion Chase 2-1 

4. Marine Nationale, 6, Barry Connell 

Barry Connell enjoyed a fine campaign last season which was bookended by Grade One wins by Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse in December and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. A speedy animal that many believe could put it up to Constitution Hill over hurdles, Connell says that "he's a brilliant jumper and he's nearly a better jumper of fences than he is of hurdles, so that's the current thinking and we'll work towards that".  He’s likely to be campaigned over two miles and all being well he could emerge as Ireland’s leading hope for the Arkle Chase in March.

Arkle Chase 3-1   

5. Captain Conby, 6, Eamonn Sheehy 

It’s been a while since Eamonn ‘Dusty’ Sheehy has trained a headline-grabbing horse but Captain Conby might alter this direction of travel. It’s almost 20 years since Sheehy was hoovering Grade One races with the likes of Rathgar Beau, Trafford Lad, and Justified and he makes no secret of his hopes for Captain Conby who switches to fences this season after a credible hurdling career. “If you saw him schooling, it's just awesome, absolutely breathtaking,” says Sheehy. “He’s a class horse. He has a high cruising speed and he'll stay.” Could easily grab some headlines.

No ante-post quotes available.

6. Russian Ruler, 6, Nicky Henderson 

“If he shows us on the racetrack what he shows us at home, we could go a long way with him in novice chases," Nicky Henderson says of Russian Ruler. He didn’t set the world on fire during his hurdling career, winning only of seven starts. These wins earned him a moderate rating of 127 but is probably a lot better than that. He switches to novice chasing this season and Henderson believes the six-year-old Sholokhov gelding will come on in leaps and bounds. “He is a horse we have always adored even though things haven’t always gone according to plan.” Could be seen to better effect when the ground improves through the spring.

Arkle Chase 33-1 

7. Stage Star, 7, Paul Nicholls 

Stage Star begins his second season of chasing with a ‘twilight zone’ rating of 155, which usually means a choice between too-high weights in handicaps and too-tough tasks in graded company. Paul Nicholls knows the conundrum, saying: “He will have to improve again to mix it with the best this season and may not be the easiest to place but I hope he proves good enough to earn a shot at the Ryanair in the spring.” 

Stage Star loves Cheltenham having won there four times already including a victory in the Turners Novices' chase in the spring with talented horses such as The Mighty Potter and Appreciate It behind him. His early season goal is the Paddy Power Chase at the course in November and Nicholls is bound to have him spot on for this lucrative contest.

Paddy Power Chase 8-1   

8. Gerri Colombe, Gordon Elliott

It is notoriously difficult to defend a Cheltenham Gold Cup and even though Galopin Des Champs was brilliant last March, 2-1 is very skinny price for a repeat. Besides, Gerri Colombe has emerged as a competitor since then. A resolute stayer Gerri has only been beaten once and that was by the width of a cigarette paper in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. The Gold Cup looks like a made-to-measure contest for Gordon Elliott’s newest stable star. "You would like to think trip and the end-to-end gallop of the race would be right up his street,” says his trainer. “He kept on progressing last season and there is hopefully more improvement to come. We're really looking forward to seeing what he can do this season."

Cheltenham Gold Cup 7-1   

9. Galia Des Liteaux, 7, Dan Skelton 

The seven-year-old mare, Galia Des Liteaux, was highly tried in novice chases by Dan Skelton last year, bumping into horses of the quality of Gerri Colombe and The Real Whacker. Clearly not top rank but will be targeted at some good Saturday handicaps. Skelton describes her as “a really good mare and loves her fences. We were very proud of her last season. On that really slow ground and she might be able to win an even bigger race, but she is winning Grade Two races.” With reasonable progress, she could improve enough to contend in the mares' chases in the spring festivals.

Mares' Chase 14-1 

10. Midnight River, 8, Dan Skelton 

Another Skelton inmate likely to be prominent in big winter handicaps is Midnight River. The robust and versatile eight-year-old has already won seven times, including victories in three chases last season, the best of them a premier handicap at Aintree in April over three miles. His rating was raised to 156 on foot of this, an impressive 19lb improvement for the season. If Dan Skelton can maintain this upward momentum a few decent pots should come his way. His early-season target is the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December.

Coral Gold Cup 12-1