Jamie Snowden is looking to build on the success of last season as he prepares his team for the forthcoming campaign.
The trainer, who has signed a new two-year deal to be an ambassador for Fitzdares, said: “In life we've all got aspirations to improve ourselves and get better day to day. Here at Folly House we've always tried to better our previous season, and thankfully we've done that over the last eight or nine years, with the last five or six being incredible. What's really nice to see is that we've not only bettered each season for numbers of winners, but also prize money, with the strike rate to go with it. It's a phenomenal achievement from the whole team.
“We were very strong in the novice hurdle department last year, and we've got a lot of those going novice chasing this season. We've got a good team of older horses in the likes of Ga Law, Wendigo, Git Maker and Colonel Harry, who've been flying the flag for us for years and are back in again, still going strong. We've invested heavily in the younger horses coming through, so hopefully we'll be strong in the bumper department, where we had a wonderful year, and you'd like to hope the novice hurdlers will be smart as well.
“It's figures that constitute success when you look back - numbers of winners, prize money, strike rate, Grade Ones, Cheltenham Festival and big-race success. Every year is very different, and to try to replicate last year would be phenomenally difficult, but we're certainly striving to achieve it.
“I've been very lucky to work for some very good trainers in my time, many years at Seven Barrows with Nicky Henderson, and plenty of time with Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat. They're two people I certainly look up to. Ultimately, you're trying to be the best you can, and we'll keep climbing the ladder as quickly as we can, and keep striving for success.”
Below he highlights plans for some of his leading hopes for the campaign ahead and a couple of dark horses too.
STABLE STARS
Johnny's Jury
“This box has been very lucky for us over the years. Hogan's Height won over the Grand National fences from here, Datsalrightgino won the Coral Gold Cup, and Johnny's Jury was in this very box last year when he won the Grade One Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival. He's back in again for the season ahead, looking great and having done very well over the summer, and he'll go novice chasing this year.
“Whether we start him over three miles or perhaps two and a half, something like the John Francome at Newbury might be a nice starting point, it's a race we won last year with Wendigo. Hopefully he can emulate him and then head to the Kauto Star at Kempton over Christmas, before, all being well, going to Cheltenham in the spring and on to Aintree. He's a high-class horse and we're very lucky to have him.”
Julius De Pictons
“A Grade One Sefton winner at Aintree, he picked up a niggle that day and missed all of last season, poor chap, but he's back in and he's an absolute bull of a horse. He's really developed, strengthened and matured, and he'll go novice chasing this season.
“We'll take it steadily, bit by bit, and have him ready for November or December, when there's a little bit of softer ground. He's got form over two miles as well as three, so he's quite versatile, we might start him over a shorter trip and step up as and when.”
Colonel Harry
“He's been a bit of a star for us over the years. He's nine now, but he won the Grand Sefton last year over the Grand National fences, and he was a Grade Two winner as a novice chaser and Grade One-placed as well. The plan was the Grand Sefton, the Becher and then the Grand National, but they've put the Grand Sefton and the Becher on the same day this year, so we've had to choose. I'd like to step him up beyond three miles, so the Becher looks the target.
“He's on the water treadmill at the moment, coming back from an injury as part of his pre-season training. We're very much looking forward to having him back in the team, and hopefully the Grand National is the target at the end of the season.”
Wendigo
“He's an absolute star and a bit of a legend. He won a Grade Two over fences last season and was arguably a little unlucky, certainly when third in the Grade One at Kempton, and he fell at Cheltenham. But he's your archetypal second-season handicap chaser and we're going to have an awful lot of fun with him.
“He follows a similar path to Datsalrightgino, who won the Coral Gold Cup, and hopefully he'll head that way too. We'll give him one prep run in either the Old Roan or the Colin Parker Intermediate at Carlisle, then head to Newbury. He likes a bit of softer ground, I'd expect him to have an entry in the Welsh National, and he could be one who ends up in the Grand National at the end of the season.”
TWO FOR THE FUTURE
County Prospect
“Very much a dark horse. He’s only four, won a point-to-point at Punchestown pretty impressively, and is the most gorgeous stamp of a horse. We’ll have to be patient with him, but at this stage he looks very smart indeed, one we can all be following.
“He’s got a great mind on him, size and stamp, and he carries himself beautifully. He gets up the hill without any effort and is very athletic over a jump, it all seems to happen within his stride.”
Cameron De Fiacre
“By Choeur Du Nord out of an unraced dam from a cracking pedigree from the family of the well-regarded stallion, Cokoriko, and the wonderful Grade 1 winning mare Benie des Dieux. Cameron De Fiacre is a brother to a 5-time winner and after a years pretraining in Ireland, he arrived with us this spring and made a winning debut in a competitive bumper at Fontwell. He jumps really well and has a huge amount of potential. He’ll go novice hurdling but might start out in the Listed bumper at Cheltenham in November.”
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