Now in its 18th year of publication, Jumpers To Follow is not only an essential tool to help guide you through the upcoming season but can be used a reference point for seasons beyond.
Key Features for 2024-2025 include:
- British Leading Prospects – Paul’s 30 Leading Prospects from yards across the UK
- Irish Leading Prospect – Paul’s 20 Leading Prospects from yards in Ireland
- Irish Extra – additional horses to follow from Across the Irish Sea
- A View From The Saddle – get the thoughts of eight high-profile jockeys – including Harry Cobden, Sean Bowen, Harry Skelton and Brian Hughes – who nominate their own horses to follow for the season ahead. Note, this year’s interview with Harry Skelton is almost a mini Stable Tour of Dan Skelton’s yard.
- Point-to-Point Graduates – Paul selects the horses who most caught his attention when racing between the flags last year and are set to embark on a career under Rules
- News From France – details of promising horses who have moved to the UK or Ireland
- Top-Class Performers – a look at the more well-known and high-profile National Hunt horses and how each division looks ahead of the new campaign
- Big-Race Trends – in the format of the Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide, Paul takes a look at a dozen races throughout the season from a trends/statistical viewpoint
- Experts’ Picks – a horse to follow from a number of industry experts
THE 2023-2024 EDITION PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING GEMS:
LEADING PROSPECTS included:
- Ballyburn “….is bred to relish a stiffer test of stamina and as he learns to race more professionally, is likely to improve as he goes up in distance. He could well develop in to a leading contender for the Ballymore” – Ballyburn won the Gallagher Hurdle (formerly the Ballymore) in March (available at 7-1 at the time of publication)
- Dysart Enos – “Having improved appreciably with each start, she now rates a hugely exciting prospect for novice hurdles against her own sex” won all three starts over hurdles
- Kateira – “Blessed with a good turn of foot, she is currently rated 138 and can progress again this season” won a Premier Handicap at Aintree’s Grand National Meeting at 5/1
- Nemean Lion – “Given how he travels, he should be well-suited by a strongly-run race and could be capable of rating a good bit higher than his current mark of 135” won the Welsh Champion Hurdle at 3/1 on first start and was rated as high as 151 after success in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle
- Sir Gino – “is in training with Nicky Henderson and could develop into a high-class juvenile” unbeaten over hurdles and landed the Grade 1 Anniversary Hurdle at Aintree
IRISH EXTRA included:
- SIX individual Grade 1 winners, including three multiple Grade 1-winning horses in Fact To File, Mystical Power and Spillane’s Tower.
- THREE Cheltenham Festival winners, with the winners of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and National Hunt Chase.
NEWS FROM FRANCE included Grade 1 winners Kargese and Il Est Francais, as well as Grade 2 winner Kala Conti.
POINT-TO-POINT GRADUATES included:
- Champion Bumper second and third, Romeo Coolio and Jalon D’oudairies
- Grade 2-winning novice hurdlers Kerryhill and Shanagh Bob
- Wingmen – won twice in bumpers, including at the Punchestown Festival at 18/1
BREEDING ANGLES included:
- Reading Tommy Wrong “despite the stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree, he looks to be blessed with plenty of pace” – won Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle at 16/1
