Timeform's Horses To Follow for the 2025/26 jumps season is out now. Read an extract from the book featuring David Ord's selection, Mydaddypaddy.
Not many horses manage to win on the Flat and over both hurdles and fences, but the mare Debdebdeb did just that. She was a talented all-rounder and showed useful form in all three disciplines. On the Flat, she won four races for Andrew Balding at up to a mile and three quarters before being sold to go jumping at the end of her four-year-old season. Her first win over hurdles came for Donald McCain before she moved on to Dan Skelton, for whom she won a second race over hurdles, picked up some black type from finishing second in a listed mares’ handicap at Cheltenham and ended her career by winning two of her three starts over fences.
As a broodmare, Debdebdeb’s first date was with 2000 Guineas and Derby winner Camelot, resulting in the useful Flat stayer Dillian. But reflecting her own dual-purpose racing career, she subsequently produced a foal to top jumping sire Walk In The Park and looks to have a very promising future jumper with the result of that mating being impressive Huntingdon bumper winner Mydaddypaddy. Ridden by Harry Skelton, who had partnered Debdebdeb to all three of her wins for the yard, Mydaddypaddy clearly came with something of a reputation and was sent off the 15/8 favourite for his debut.
He could hardly have won in more taking style having been dropped out last of all for much of the way. But towards the end of the back straight, Mydaddypaddy quickly began to pass horses on the bridle out wide and was still travelling strongly when produced to lead entering the straight. From that point, it was a one-horse race, with Mydaddypaddy readily quickening clear once shaken up to pull 11 lengths clear. That may have been a thin race, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the tall, useful-looking Mydaddypaddy will be a most exciting prospect for novice hurdles. Dan Skelton
David Ord says: “He might have seen the trainers’ title slip through his fingers on the final day of the last two seasons, but Dan Skelton goes into the new campaign with his largest ever string and with a host of exciting young prospects. Among those is Mydaddypaddy who looked something out of the ordinary when winning a Huntingdon bumper in March, making an eye-catching move from the rear turning in and then quickening clear of his rivals in a matter of strides. He’s the sort to run up a sequence over hurdles before his sights are raised.”
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