Few figures on the racetrack have a more positive outlook than leading owner Max McNeill, though it's not hard to imagine the smile he is rarely seen without becoming a permanent fixture during the 2025/26 National Hunt season.
With more than 20 horses in training, in various partnerships, spread across yards in both Britain and Ireland the staunch Blackburn Rovers fan is more excited than ever about the winter game ramping up a notch given the quality of talent he has at his fingertips.
While admirable handicap chaser Threeunderthrufive, who is trained by Paul Nicholls, will ‘captain’ those carrying the colours of his family once more it is the ones coming through behind the 10 year-old that has got McNeill’s pulse racing for the forthcoming campaign.
A good number of those that will appear in the silks belonging to the McNeill Family are based down in Ditcheat with Nicholls, including Quebecois, who is expected to come into his own switched to fences this season.
He said: “He won his maiden hurdle at Chepstow last season then he flattened out a bit, but we knew there was more to come. I felt he was going to win at Kempton Park when he came up against Kingston Pride, but he missed the second last and his jockey lost his irons.
“Up at Ayr on his last start he showed what he could do beating a horse of Willie Mullins (Jump Allen) who then went and won a good race on the last day of the season at Sandown Park. He is a horse we are very excited about. I’d like to think he can go well over fences as he has had a little wind operation in the summer and the feeling is that has brought an extra gear out of him.”
A setback prevented Inthewaterside from being able to add to his winning debut over fences at Newbury in December.
And while that means he has lost his novice status, despite just having had the sole run over fences, McNeill expects the seven-year-old to thrive this campaign.
He added: “He had a minor setback last season, but he showed us what he can really do at Newbury where he ran a blinder. He jumped a little bit to the right that day and there was something probably bothering him a little bit so we took a pull.
"I’d like to think he could be doing a bit more than being in handicaps. If we had him as a novice for another season we could have then looked at some of those Grade One races. He is probably a little bit between a rock and a hard place.
"It is probably right that a race like the Ultima later on is a more realistic target, but it is September, and I’m an optimist and I love this game so let’s hope he can go forward again.”
Another based down at Manor Farm Stables that McNeill is looking forward to seeing back in action is impressive Warwick bumper scorer No Drama This End.
Last sighted finishing ninth in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, the five year old is expected to play a prominent role on his switch to hurdles.
He said: “He is a fantastic horse. We ran him in the Cheltenham bumper. He was running well, but he just got caught up in traffic. I think he could be one that can get really excited about as I know Dan (Skelton) thinks a lot of the horse we beat at Warwick (Keops Des Bordes).
“Watching the Cheltenham race again he got boxed in a bit then ran on at the end, which I had forgotten about, so I think he will get two and a half miles.
“There are a couple of good two and a half mile novice hurdles at Chepstow after that first meeting and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him somewhere like that.”
As for team captain, Threeunderthrufive, the Coral Scottish Grand National, which he was fourth in 2023, has been earmarked as a long term target for the 10-year-old.
He added: “He is high enough in the handicap, but he loves Ascot and we will try him there and hopefully another one will come his way there again. One of my favourite meetings outside of Cheltenham is Ayr so I think later in the season we will have a go at the Scottish Grand National.
“We won’t be going for the Grand National again as we tried it with him and he didn’t like it. He ran well in the Scottish Grand National before so it makes sense to have a go at it again.”
Away from those based with Nicholls, McNeill is excited about seeing the Olly Murphy-trained Fingle Bridge, who was last seen winning the Listed trustratrader.com Novices’ Hurdle at Exeter, tackle a fence.
And he has also put forward a dark horse to follow based with the Wilmcote-handler.
He added “The Listed novices’ hurdle Fingle Bridge won at Exeter has turned out to be a hot one. Paul has been eulogising about Regent’s Stroll and obviously he had a fantastic end to the season, and the horse of Jamie Snowden’s (Julius Des Pictons), who finished third, went and won a Grade One up at Aintree
“We wanted to run him at Aintree, but he needs soft ground, and the betting showed we would have been close, but we had to make a painful decision as an owner, however as I always say the welfare of the horse comes first. He has run, and won three times over hurdles, quite easily and I believe he will be one to really look out for this term over fences.
“Another horse from Olly Murphy’s that needs a mention is Hold The Serve. He was mentioned as a horse to follow over in Ireland. I think he could be one of my dark horses.”
Nicky Henderson is likely to have plenty of talented novice chasers at his disposal this campaign, of which McNeill expects Califet En Vol, winner of last season’s Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon to be one.
He added: “He was running well in a Grade One at Aintree on his last start, however one of the hurdles sprang back and hurt his leg, but not in terms of a tendon or anything like that. He got a spur on his bone and it sort of bothered him, but I think he could be a very smart novice chaser.”
As for those that like a relatively unexposed horse to follow McNeill has put forward the John McConnell-trained Lieutenant Mayne, who could appear at the Listowel Festival later this month, as one to pop in the notebooks.
He added: “One more that is worth a mention is a horse called Lieutenant Mayne who is with John McConnell. He won very impressively first time out over hurdles last season and then on his next two runs he didn’t turn up.
“It transpired he had grade four ulcers so we gave him a break and John has done a wonderful job with him. He has since come back and won his last two races. He could go to the Listowel Festival and he could be a nice one to look forward to over fences this season.”
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