Jamie Snowden will remember the 2024/25 campaign for more than one reason with new records set and personal milestones achieved, however more importantly it showed a sign of things to come.
As one of Lambourn’s most progressive trainers Snowden ended the campaign with 62 domestic winners, £807,146 in prize money and a first Grade One success courtesy of Julius Des Pictons victory in the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
Although Snowden is likely to be without his Grade One scorer for much of the campaign he has plenty of ammunition ready to lead the line and help push him past the £1 million barrier in prize money for the first time in his career.
And with more than £300,000 already in the pot along with more than 35 winners there is every chance with the team of horses he has got that Snowden could be about to raise the bar even higher this term.
Snowden said: “It was a wonderful time last season. We have been very lucky that for the past three seasons we have bettered the total from the one before.
“We had sixty two winners and won over eight hundred thousand pounds in prize money last season which was great and we had our first Grade One winner.
“We had been knocking on the door a bit, and we had been lucky to win some nice races, but none recognised as a Grade One as it were so it was great to knock that off the list.
“Just looking around the place we have some really exciting young horses. Hopefully, it is onwards and upwards.
“We still have Ga Law who has flown the flag well for us, but we had a strong team of novice hurdlers last season, which most will go novice chasing this season, and we had ten or eleven individual bumper winners that will go novice hurdling.
“We are now getting to the point where we have strength across the board and not necessarily just in one division which is super exciting.”
A PATH TO RONDA
“She won a bumper at Uttoxeter on New Year’s Eve and then finished fourth in a Listed race at Sandown Park.
"She slipped going into the back straight that day and lost her footing and almost came down so you can mark that performance up.
“She has looked immaculate in her schooling. She looked very good winning at Stratford and we will probably look at trying to defy a penalty in another novice with her then maybe go to the Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle at Haydock Park in December
“She could be a Jane Seymour type later in the season.”
ADMIRAL STEWART
“He is another one that wants really soft ground. He won a novice hurdle at Ffos Las impressively then he was second at Ayr at the end of the season trying to give weight away that then won a Grade Two at Kelso and was fourth in a Grade One at Aintree.
“He is rated one hundred and twenty-two and he jumps fences really well so he will go novice chasing this season, but he does want soft ground.
He only had three runs over hurdles last season and I expect him to be a better chaser than a hurdler.
“You would like to think he is well handicapped. He is entered at Sandown Park on Sunday, but that looks quite hot and we might look elsewhere.”
AUDACIOUS ANNIE
“She is related to You Wear It Well. She won two novice hurdles last season and she is nicely handicapped off one hundred and eleven. I ran her at Uttoxeter in September and she didn’t get the run of the race at all, but I was slightly disappointed with her at Bangor.
“I think we will go up in trip with her and a bit of softer ground wouldn’t go amiss either.”
CAMERON DE FIACRE
“He is a lovely bred individual and he is one of those two-year-olds that I got in France and then sent over to Ireland. His sire Choeur Du Nord has already sired the likes of Heart Wood and Jeriko Du Reponet.
"He will now go down the Junior National Hunt hurdle route. He appears to be a lovely horse.”
CINQUENTA
“He has been third in all three of his bumpers. Datsalrightgino never won a bumper, and I couldn’t believe he didn’t, but he ended up being as good as he was.
“I thought he would win a bumper. He jumps well and we just fired his palate during the summer. Hopefully he will be a smart novice hurdler this season.
“He is a future staying chaser, but for now, he could be one we look at the EBF Final with later in the season.”
COLONEL HARRY
“He was a Grade Two winning novice chaser and last season stepping into open company he was second in the Colin Parker at Carlisle which was supposed to set him up for the Coral Gold Cup, which he ran well in but he didn’t stay.
“We dropped him back in trip at Cheltenham on soft ground and he fell at the top of the hill and we never saw him afterwards as he got an infection in a back leg. He was in hospital for about six weeks.
“He is back in looking great. We decided not to start him off in the Old Roan, but if the ground is okay we will give him a spin over the Grand National fences in the Grand Sefton.
“If he doesn’t go there we will head to the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Those two and a half mile handicaps are perfect for him and you would like to think one might come his way.”
DATSALRIGHTCHARLIE
“He is a great big horse that will take all the time in the world. I ran him over hurdles at the end of last season and he went and won, which was great, but it means he is not a novice for the majority of the winter. We wanted to get him out early to try and defy a penalty.
“He finished second recently over a sharp two miles around Warwick. We stepped him up another five furlongs in a handicap at Warwick on Tuesday and I thought he ran well.
“He is just a big, raw, backward, immature baby. He got done for a little bit of speed, but he stayed on strongly all the way to the line. He is improving, but he is a long term horse. He will be far better over fences.”
ENYA
“She is smart. She was in training on the flat, but she never ran. She came to us in the summer and we did a bit with her and we thought she was quite nice.
“Having not ran on the flat we thought we would give her a bit more time and comeback in a junior bumper and then go for those junior National Hunt hurdle races.”
EPIC WEST
“He is a dual novice hurdle winner last season. He picked up an injury at Fontwell under a double penalty and he was one we were targeting the EBF Final with.
"He will go novice chasing this season. He is in good order and jumps fences well. He is a big strong individual.
"He is a half-brother to Complete Unknown, who was a useful horse for Paul Nicholls. He is still unexposed and could have slipped under the radar a bit.”
FINE SHOT
“He is a lovely horse that was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II. He finished third in a bumper at Huntingdon on his only start last season.
"I like him a lot, but we will be patient with him. We will go straight over hurdles now with him.
"It is a real privilege to have one for His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen.
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
“He won his bumper impressively at Uttoxeter on his debut and he works like a good horse. We ran him in the Listed race at Ascot, but that blew his brains.
"We could hardly get the saddle on him that day. The whole occasion got to him and I shouldn’t have run him.
“We then just decided to be patient with him. He got the job done down at Fontwell on his debut over hurdles, but he didn’t jump very well. He won through pure ability.
“We haven’t been schooling on the grass at home and I think that probably told on the racetrack, but he showed that he has got a huge engine.
“I would have thought he would be one for an introductory hurdle up at Haydock Park later this month. That should be perfect for him.”
FUTURE BUCKS
“She is out of a sister to Big Buck's and she was second in a hurdle race in France, but then it didn’t quite go to plan on her next start. She will go novice hurdling this season.
“If all was to go well this season she might be one to look at the mares' EBF Final at Newbury in March.”
GA LAW
“Although he didn’t win last season he actually had quite a good campaign. The handicapper put him on a higher mark than he started with so he must have had a good season.
“He was second in the Paddy Power, third in the Oaksey Chase and second in a good race down at Chepstow.
"He had a good season, but a slightly frustrating one in terms of handicapping as it makes life a bit tricky this term as to where we go.
“We started him off in the Charlie Hall and I thought he ran well. He probably took a blow, but he will improve for it. He came back and had a bit of pus in his foot, which can’t have helped him either.
“He is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as he has too much weight in handicaps, but then at the same time he is not quite graded class.
“I think we will go to the Coral Gold Cup next. He didn’t stay the trip a couple of years ago when Datsalrightgino won it, but he is now that bit older, and more mature, I have no doubt in my mind that he will see it out.”
GIT MAKER
“He was second in the Kim Muir and third in the Scottish Grand National the season before last.
“He loves soft ground and he didn’t really get his conditions and he didn’t get going last season. He only had three runs last season and one of those was a prep run over hurdles.
“He is in great order now and he could have run over hurdles at Lingfield next week. It would then be on to the Coral Gold Cup, if it was soft ground, or more likely the Welsh Grand National.
“When he gets his favoured conditions over a staying trip you would like to think that the Welsh Grand National will be right up his street.”
HARDY DU SEUIL
“There has got be a good handicap hurdle in him this season. He was a good four-year-old novice chaser and placed in graded races.
“He has been caught in the handicappers grip a little bit, but he wasn’t beaten far at Windsor in the good race that Secret Squirrel won.
“I’d like to think he can get his head in front again this season when the ground is right.
HOLLYGROVE CHA CHA
“She was a very good horse for us last season. She was a dual bumper winner the season before last and won her first couple of starts over hurdles.
“She was second down at Taunton in a Listed race where she picked up a bit of blacktype, but two miles around there was always going to be a bit sharp for her that day.
“She appreciated going back up to two and a half miles when winning the Grade Two Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, which is a race that has been lucky to us over the last few years.
“We chanced our arm at Cheltenham, but two miles on drying ground was just a bit quick for her and she got run off her feet so Gav (Sheehan) looked after her. She wants a bit of cut in the ground and a little bit of a trip in time.
“I thought she ran an absolute belter in the Colin Parker at Carlisle on Sunday. If she jumped the last she would have won.
“She was a bit novicey with her jumping on occasions, but that can be expected against a Grade One winner in Handstands and Resplendent Grey, winner of the bet365 Gold Cup.
“It was a really good performance and probably the obvious race to go for now is the Listed mares’ novices’ chase at Warwick in the middle of December.”
IDY WOOD
“He is a little dude as he has won a bumper, two novice hurdles, two novice chases and a handicap hurdle. He won up at Uttoxeter on his return and he then ran a belter in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow.
“He is in at Kempton Park on Monday, but he could go to Cheltenham next week for the conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle there, while there is also an option at Bangor for him.
“I think we will keep him over hurdles as he lacks a bit of scope for a fence, even though he won two novice chases last season. He could be one for the Lanzarote Hurdle after Christmas.”
JACKSTELL
“It was great for him to get the hat-trick up already this season after backing up his two novice hurdle wins with a handicap win at Plumpton the other day.
“He is really thriving and we might look at something a bit better with him now given that he is in the form of his life.
“He won’t be running through the depths of winter, but on better ground there could be a nice race in him.”
JOHNNY’S JURY
“He is a nice horse that is a half-brother to Appreciate It. He was third first time out in a novice hurdle at Ffos Las for Nicky Henderson.
“We bought him and have given him plenty of time to make into a nice novice hurdler this season. He goes nicely and I’m looking forward to seeing him out.
“He should develop into a nice staying chaser in the future.”
JULIUS DES PICTONS
“He picked up a niggle at Aintree when winning the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. Whether we bring him back for the latter part of the season still remains to be seen, but he is out of action at the moment.
“This would be his novice chasing season and we might wait and be patient until the following season.
“If he does come back it would be over hurdles as we wouldn’t want to waste his novice chase campaign.”
KERNIE D’AIRY
“We got her midway through last season after winning a bumper in France. These French horses take time to acclimatise. I broke my cardinal rule and I run her in the Listed race at Newbury because she was working so well and it didn’t work for her.
“We have given her time off and she should be a smart mare for novice hurdles. She is a big mare and she probably wants softer ground so we will just be patient with her.”
KOSAC D’OUDAIRIES
“I love this chap. When we got him he was all skin and bones, but he is a horse that has developed and progressed. The more we do with him the bigger and stronger he is.
“We ran him on the first bit of soft ground at Newton Abbot last autumn and he finished fifth and those in front of him won bumpers. He was third at Catterick and won at Ffos Las.
“He should be clued up enough to be a nice novice hurdler this season. He does want softer ground. I think he can go in graded novice hurdles as the season goes along. He is not slow so we will stay over two miles to start with, but he won a point-to-point so he stays as well.”
LA CONQUIERE
“She came over to us mid-season after finishing second on her debut at Thurles. We were looking for some soft ground, but nothing happened. As she went well at home we threw her in the deep end in the Grade Two bumper at Aintree and she ran a belter to be second.
“She looked really good at Uttoxeter in what was a steadily run affair. The leader (Dream Shadow), who was placed in a couple of Listed bumpers, had first run on her, but she picked her up well. Showing plenty of speed she looked very smart.
“The plan would be to go for the Listed race at Newbury at the end of the month. You would like to hope we can work back from the mares novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham with her.”
LA MARQUISE
“We got her in France as a two year old and she was the first one we sent over to Ireland for pre-training before coming to us and she was the first one we slotted into that category.
“She won two bumpers in her first season with us before finishing third in the Grade Two at Aintree and she then won first time out over hurdles, but she had a pretty nasty experience that day.
“She ended up cutting her leg quite badly and we never really had her right after that. We got one more run into her at Newbury very flat.
“It was a shame she won last season as it means she is no longer a novice. I think she probably just blew up on her come back this season as it was her first run in a while, but she should come on for that. We will just go down the handicap route with her.”
LADY TADITA
“She is a lovely filly that won a bumper at Huntingdon last season in November and we have just been very patient with her. She is quite a light-framed individual.
“I was really impressed with her at Market Rasen as I thought she was still pretty raw and pretty green. She needs to brush up on her jumping, but the way she put the race to bed was impressive.
“I hope to take her to Huntingdon on Tuesday for the Herring Queen Series Qualifier there”
LAURENS BAY
“It was wonderful winning the EBF Final at the end of the season as plenty of those winners that win that race end up being nice handicap chasers.
“It was only a match race he won at Uttoxeter on his debut over fences, but that is what these races are for educating young horses.
“I thought he jumped well and had a lovely run round there. It was a great bit of education and he can now go forward into a better race with more confidence.
“We had looked at going to Exeter with him, but they didn’t get the rain we needed so we haven’t put the entry in there.
“We will have half a look at the Listed race at Cheltenham, but maybe more likely is the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park.”
LEGENDARY LUKE
“He is a new horse for the Racing Club Syndicate and he is out of a sister to Native River. He won his point-to-point in good fashion.
“We will likely start him off in a bumper, but he will go novice hurdling this season as he is already five. He is a future staying chaser and in two seasons time we want him for staying chases.”
LIVINGIT DU LARGE
“He won a junior National Hunt novice hurdle race last season which means he won’t carry a penalty in novice hurdles this season.
“He is from the same sire as Lulumba (Nirvana du Berlais), who is a relatively new sire. I think he will be a future staying chaser.
“He might be one for the EBF Final later on in the season.”
LIVINGONAPRAYER
“She won her novice hurdle at Huntingdon well, but that was only her second ever run and she needs more experience.
“She was very green and immature, but it was still a nice performance. We will look to try and win another race under a penalty and go gently away with her for the time being.”
LOVEABLE REPROBATE
“He is a lovely looking individual. He was in training with Pat Doyle to run in point-to-points last season, but he didn’t end up running.
“He is unraced and he will be one for a newcomers bumper on soft ground.
“He has shown plenty of ability and looks like an exciting recruit for the team.”
MARCHE D’ALIGRE
“He looked very good winning his juvenile on debut then he was second in Grade Two at Chepstow on soft ground.
"We didn’t get any soft ground for him after Christmas and that is what he wants. The backend of his season tailed off, but he is one to keep note of on soft ground. "I was thinking of going novice chasing with him and using his four-year-old allowance like we did with Torneo, but he is a different model.
"He is a leggier individual that is a bit weaker so I think we will stay over hurdles with him.”
MILPAT
“He is a Cokoriko gelding out of a Saddler Maker mare (Gulip). He was second in quite a good bumper over in France in the spring and Willie Mullins has the winner of that race.
“He came to us and all he has done is grown, and he is probably still growing, so we will be patient with him. I would say he will be in bumpers this season.”
MILLDAM
“We didn’t get many runs into him last season as it just didn’t rain. Two mile handicap hurdles are what he wants on soft ground around places like Haydock Park and Chepstow.
“We tried to go to the Morebattle up at Kelso last season with him, but the ground just wasn’t soft enough. Races like the Imperial Cup will be right up his street later in the season.
“I’ve a sneaking suspicion a flatter track might be more ideal for him so I’m thinking of the Berkshire Winter Million meeting at Windsor could be where we head mid-season with him.”
ONLY THE BOLD
“He almost has a free hit this season after winning the Summer Cup at Uttoxeter. He turned up to us with form figures that looked more like the alphabet. We ran him at Ludlow in the winter and he slipped on landing and did the splits.
“We decided to chance our arm in the Summer Cup at Uttoxeter as there was a bit of rain, and they watered well. We thought we might get away with it, and we did.
“He had a holiday on the back of that. He is a veteran now and I think those races are the obvious route to go down.
“He is entered at Carlisle on Monday, but I think we will be heading to a veterans’ series qualifier at Sandown on Sunday.
“He might be one to have an entry in the Welsh Grand National as well, but the Veterans’ Final at Sandown is one we want to get him qualified for.”
OPALE DE MAINE
“She was second in a bumper at Hexham before going one better up at Sedgefield. The plan will be to go novice hurdling. She is a grand sort and she will win her share of races throughout the season.”
PALMA SPRINGS
“She is another that has come through our Irish system and she has settled in well to life with us. She will be another one to run in those junior National Hunt Flat races. We could start her off at Huntingdon on Tuesday.”
PASSING WELL
“He was second in the Surrey National and third in both the Eider and Midlands National last season. He ran some cracking races.
“He would need to go up in the handicap to get in the Welsh Grand National, but that would be the hope that he can get in that.
“He never really got his ground last season as it was such a dry spring. The Surrey National was on very heavy ground, but on the back of that both the Eider and Midlands National were on good ground and he wants a bit of cut.
“You would like to hope with a bit of cut in the ground there is a good staying chase in him. I think the Eider and the Midlands National will be on the agenda for him.”
QUEEN OF THE VALE
“She won two bumpers last summer, but she picked up a niggle afterwards. She is back in now and working away. She will go novice hurdling this season.
“She won two summer bumpers, and she has obviously got talent, but we will just work away gently having had a leg injury.”
REBEL TRIBESMAN
“He won the point-to-point bumper final at Aintree having finished third on his debut in a point-to-point at Garthorpe.
“He looks like a talented individual with plenty of speed. Hopefully he should make into a decent novice hurdler for the team this season when we see him out.”
REGARDE
“He has been a star for us and he won a nice race for us around Haydock Park last season.
“He ran well in the amateur jockeys’ handicap chase at Cheltenham last month, but he just got taken off his line around the bend and up the home straight.
“I’m not saying he would have won, but it definitely cost us second and a chance of having a crack at the winner. He could go back to Cheltenham for the amateur jockeys’ handicap chase or we might enter him in the Southern National at Fontwell.
“He could be one that gets into an Eider later in the season.”
RIDE LIKE A GIRL
“She won a bumper last season and she is quite a quick horse. She just made a mistake at the second last. She just made a mistake late on during her hurdles debut at Warwick and Gav (Sheehan) was easy on her.
"She is probably one that doesn’t want deep ground and she has got plenty of speed.
"She was too keen at Hereford but I think we rode her wrong that day, and I think she just wants dropping out and ride her for that speed.
“She has got bags of speed, but hopefully she will get her head in front sooner rather than later.”
ROYALE NAVY
“She is a smart filly that won a point-to-point for Rob James in the spring. She is from the same family as Blaklion and she has come highly recommended. She will be one that we get rolling in a bumper in the winter.”
SAPPHOS WORD
“She bolted up in a point-to-point at Lingstown for Cormac Doyle and she is a beast of a mare as she is huge. She is quite a relaxed individual.
“She got beaten at Uttoxeter on her debut by less than a length. It was a very steadily run affair and they sprinted up the straight. She simply got done for a bit of toe.
“She is a proper nice mare and she will win a bumper on softer ground doing handstands and she should be Listed class.”
SENATOR
“We got him in France. He is a National Hunt bred individual by Doctor Dino. He ran twice on the Flat in France and stayed on in both races to finish third.
“He schools well over hurdles. He has not long come back in and we will hopefully give him a run around Christmas time. He looks smart and could be one for the Triumph Hurdle later on.”
SILVER HILL
“He won a bumper at Market Rasen on his debut, but Gav (Sheehan) had to help him down to the start line and really help him all the way around, but he won going away. He is quite a character.
“He was then fourth in a decent bumper at Sandown Park under a penalty, and the third and the fifth in that race have since won.
“I was disappointed with his run at Fontwell, but he didn’t jump great and he slipped into one of the hurdles down the far side and lost his confidence.
“We’ve not been schooling on grass, and it told as his jumping was not up to it. We will do plenty more schooling with him and he will be grand.”
SMOKEHOUSE
“He won his only point-to-point over at Belclare and he looked pretty smart in doing so. He jumped well and stayed on strongly that day. He is from the family of Slade Steel.
“He is only a four-year-old so we will take our time with him and start off in a bumper with him before switching to hurdles. He looks the type to make into a staying chaser.”
SUPER SURVIVOR
“We were always looking forward to go staying chasing with him. We ran him in the Welsh Grand National a couple of years ago, but it happened a little bit too soon for him and he got starstruck by the occasion. It took us a year to get him back on track from that.
“He won twice over hurdles last season, but he will go back chasing this season as I think now is the time to do that. He is one of those staying handicap chases and there isn’t really a set goal for him yet, but he is back in cantering away looking great.”
TIPTOPTIM
“He was third first time out for us in a race at Plumpton that has worked out really well as the winner Baron Noir won at Punchestown and the second (Kingston Queen) also won a Listed race. Plumpton didn’t really suit him I don’t think. He then won a bumper at Newcastle.
“He is a rangy individual that will stay well. He was a bit unlucky at Uttoxeter and I think he was in the hotter division up there. It was a mighty run first time out over hurdles and the winner has since backed the form up at Cheltenham.
“He will now step up in trip today at Ludlow and hopefully he should have no problems in winning that.”
TOMMY PICKLES
“He is another point-to-point winner that has joined our team for this season. He is a great big individual that is related to Strong Flow.
“That win was on very soft ground so we will have to wait until we get a bit of rain before giving him a start.
“He ran okay to finish third on his hurdles debut down at Newton Abbot and I think he was beaten by two decent ones.
“He is another one though that won’t be seen at his best until he goes chasing over three miles.”
WENDIGO
“He ended up being our highest rated novice hurdler from last season and he will go novice chasing this campaign. He won twice and was a very good second in the Challow and arguably unlucky in the Albert Bartlett as he almost got brought down at the second last.
“Without that mishap he would have undoubtedly been third in the Albert Bartlett, and it meant we lost the chance of having a crack at the top two, but it was still a mighty effort.
“It was a good novice chase that he contested on his debut over fences at Worcester. He was only just beaten and it was a good run that he will have learnt plenty from.
“We will now go to Newbury for the Grade Two John Francome Novices’ Chase at the Coral Gold Cup meeting.
“He should definitely be a graded novice chaser this season.”
Also in the series
- Willie Mullins: Part One
- Willie Mullins: Part Two
- Joe Tizzard
- Alan King
- Paul Nicholls
- Dan Skelton
- Ben Pauling
- Olly Murphy
- Lucinda & Michael Scudamore
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