Mullins pair head Timeform's list of highest-rated novice chasers

Ferny Hollow (Timeform rating 166p)

Ferny Hollow first announced himself as an exciting jumping prospect when beating stablemate Appreciate It in the 2020 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and he hasn’t been beaten since. But Willie Mullins has only been able to get three starts into him in the nearly two years since his Cheltenham victory and he’s on the side-lines again now, a suspensory injury ruling him out of the Cheltenham Festival (he had been favourite for the Sporting Life Arkle) and the rest of the season.

The only horse so far to have inflicted a defeat on Bob Olinger – that was Ferny Hollow’s only race over hurdles – Ferny Hollow won both his starts over fences in December and put up a top-notch effort to win the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown, travelling powerfully in front and having enough in reserve at the end to concede almost a stone to the smart runner-up Riviere d’Etel who was getting all the allowances as a four-year-old filly. That was a really good effort on the clock, too, but sadly his trainer reported Ferny Hollow to have come out of the race very sore.

Galopin des Champs (164p)

Ferny Hollow’s setback leaves Galopin des Champs as the Mullins stable’s leading novice chaser going to Cheltenham. He won the Martin Pipe over hurdles at last year’s Festival before going on to Grade 1 success back in novice company over three miles at Punchestown. Galopin des Champs has looked better still in winning both his starts over fences at Leopardstown, leaving little doubt that he’s a potential top-class chaser in the making.

His wide-margin win on his chasing debut just after Christmas was one of the best performances we’ve seen from a horse on his first start over fences, and he duly followed up over the same course and distance in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase, taking over in front five out and then quickening clear on the bridle on the home turn for an impressive nine-length beating of Master McShee, a Grade 1 winner himself on his previous start. That was another performance backed up by the stopwatch, and Galopin des Champs will take plenty of beating at Cheltenham. Connections have to choose between the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (three miles) and the Turners Novices' Chase (two and a half miles).

Bob Olinger (163p)

The Turners will be some race if Galopin des Champs clashes with Bob Olinger. Bob Olinger was also a Festival winner over hurdles last season, winning the Ballymore Novices’ impressively from Gaillard du Mesnil (third behind Galopin des Champs last time) and Bravemansgame.

He hasn’t disappointed in winning both his starts over fences this season, though has had quite a low-key preparation for Cheltenham, winning a beginners chase at Gowran in November (Master McShee third) and the Grade 3 Kildare Novice Chase at Punchestown in January. Bob Olinger’s jumping was more polished last time as he eased clear of runner-up Capodanno with a big break to Gaillard du Mesnil in third. As we said, Bob Olinger’s only career defeat so far has come at the hands of Ferny Hollow, and it will likely take another top-notcher to lower his colours in future.

Bravemansgame (161p)

Ireland won’t necessarily have things all their own way in the Festival’s novice chases, however, and leading the home defence is Bravemansgame for Paul Nicholls. He won the Challow Novices’ Hurdle last season before that third place to Bob Olinger at Cheltenham and then went down to Ahoy Senor in the Sefton Novices’ on a first try over three miles at Aintree.

The rangy Bravemansgame always looked a chaser though, and he’s now unbeaten in four starts over fences – all in four-runner fields, incidentally – in something of an unorthodox campaign. His first two starts at Newton Abbot and Haydock came outside novice company – he beat the subsequent Charlie Hall winner Fusil Raffles on his chasing debut – before having too much pace for Ahoy Senor when meeting him again in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton.

For his latest start, Bravemansgame was asked to concede more than a stone to his rivals in a novices’ handicap at Newbury and did so with just about the best performance by a British-trained novice chaser this season, making the running and jumping well in the main. He'd be a worthy favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase over three miles if Galopin des Champs takes up the shorter option.

Ahoy Senor (158p)

Ahoy Senor was a 66/1 rank outsider when beating Bravemansgame in the Sefton at Aintree, but he did so in emphatic fashion and the style of success marked him down as an exciting prospect for novice chases. After stumbling and unseating on his chasing debut at Carlisle, Ahoy Senor put up a tremendous performance when winning the John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury, so much so that he shaded Bravemansgame for favouritism at Kempton. However, with the pace steadying after halfway, he didn’t have the speed to cope with Bravemansgame in the closing stages, while the winner also jumped with greater fluency.

Ahoy Senor’s jumping was much bolder at Wetherby last time where he landed the odds in the Towton Novices’ Chase in great style, quickening clear from smart Irish rival Noble Yeats. Highly regarded enough to have been given a Gold Cup entry this year, as well as one for the Brown Advisory, there’s a chance he could miss Cheltenham altogether and wait for Aintree instead.

Capodanno (158p)

Owned by J. P. McManus, Capodanno might not have as high a profile as some of the Grade 1 winners in the Mullins stable but his form isn’t too far behind the best of them. His best effort over hurdles came over three miles when winning a fiercely competitive handicap at last year’s Punchestown Festival but all his starts over fences so far have been over shorter trips.

Capodanno survived a late jumping scare to make a winning chasing debut at Naas in December and was then Bob Olinger’s chief rival in the Kildare Novice Chase where he put in a better round of jumping up with the pace before proving no match for the winner once headed early in the straight. While Capodanno’s jumping let him down again last time when unseating in the early stages of the Grade 1 won by stablemate Galopin des Champs at Leopardstown, he remains with potential, including back over longer trips.

Blue Lord (158)

Ferny Hollow’s absence from the Sporting Life Arkle leaves Blue Lord as his stable’s main hope for that race and, while he might not have quite the potential of his stablemate, it’s hard to fault Blue Lord’s unbeaten record over fences. He’d shown plenty of promise over hurdles last season, including when coming down at the final flight when a clear second to stablemate Appreciate It in last season’s Supreme Novices’.

After convincing wins at Fairyhouse and Naas on his first two starts over fences, Blue Lord completed his hat-trick in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown last time, though only by half a length from Riviere d’Etel who was getting weight again, and the result might have been different had the latter not blundered at the last. Blue Lord's sound jumping and ability to see out a well-run two miles are good attributes for an Arkle contender.

Riviere d'Etel also holds solid Arkle claims on Timeform's figures. Her performance when runner-up to Ferny Hollow earned her a rating of 152 and she will receive 7 lb from the geldings at Cheltenham.

Edwardstone (158)

Alan King’s likeable chaser Edwardstone has proved himself the best two-mile novice in Britain. He’s developed into a really assured jumper of fences and takes a solid record of four straight wins to Cheltenham, the last three of those coming at graded level in the Henry VIII at Sandown, the Wayward Lad at Kempton and the Kingmaker at Warwick, all three of those performances earning a rating 158.

He won by the biggest margin at Sandown, when having favourite Third Time Lucki well back in third, and turned in a foot-perfect round when beating the same rival by just over four lengths at Warwick last time. In between, Edwardstone made short work of his three rivals in the Wayward Lad, conceding 5 lb to each of them. He will take plenty of beating in the Sporting Life Arkle.

Other names to note

Another who takes high rank among the British-trained novice chasers is L’Homme Presse (156p), unbeaten in four starts over fences for Venetia Williams and making an ever greater impression with each start. He got into an excellent rhythm from the front when completing his hat-trick in the Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, staying on strongly on the run-in to win by ten lengths, and then had more than twice that to spare in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown last time when having the race sewn up a long way out. He’s not one to underestimate in whichever novice he turns up in at Cheltenham.

Stattler (155p) and Run Wild Fred (154), representing Mullins and Gordon Elliott respectively, are two of the top staying novices in Ireland and are hard to split at the head of the betting for the National Hunt Novices’ Chase. Stattler made the frame in the three-mile novice hurdles at Cheltenham and Punchestown last spring and has won both his starts over fences, notably when beating Run Wild Fred’s stablemate Farouk d’Alene (154) in a Grade 3 novice at Naas last time where they pulled a long way clear of the Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier. With further improvement to come and looking sure to stay long distances, Stattler has more scope than Run Wild Fred who’s a second-season novice after failing to get his head in front over fences last season.

Run Wild Fred is a proven stayer though, having gone close in the Irish Grand National last spring, and got off the mark in another big staying handicap, the Troytown at Navan in November. However, since then Run Wild Fred was a bit disappointing behind stablemate Fury Road (152) in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown in December and was then withdrawn from the race won by Stattler at Naas due to a temperature, so hasn’t had the ideal preparation for Cheltenham.

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