As the National Hunt season begins to go through the gears, we've compiled a list of our Stable Tour series.
Gavin Cromwell
Cromwell on Inothewayurthinkin:
"He had a phenomenal season last season obviously. His progression was fantastic. Keith did a great job with him, his jumping improved as the season went on and, in the end, he landed the big prize. He seems to be in good shape again now. He has an entry in the John Durkan Chase, he started off there last season, and he’ll probably start off again there this season and we’ll go from there."
Willie Mullins
Part One
Part Two
Mullins on Fact To File:
"He won the Ryanair very stylishly so you'd think that's the obvious place to go back. I think he's good enough to be a Gold Cup entry, but I imagine with JP [McManus]'s Gold Cup horses we'd probably be looking at this fellow for the Ryanair unless things change mid-season. I think he's going to be a stronger horse this season and would get the three and a quarter miles in a Gold Cup."
Gordon Elliott
Elliott on Kalypso'chance:
"It was a good performance in the Monksfield, I’d say you could possibly see him step out to three miles at some stage. He was disappointing in Down Royal but that was two miles and the ground was a bit tight for him. He battled well and looked very tough at Navan so it wouldn’t shock me to see him stepping up in trip. I imagine he’ll go back to Navan for that novice hurdle in the second week of December."
Henry de Bromhead
De Bromhead on The Big Westerner:
"She was great last season. She won the Grade 2 Dorans Pride Hurdle at Limerick over Christmas, and she finished second in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham. She's going chasing this season, and we're really looking forward to seeing how she goes over fences. She may start off in that mares’ beginners’ chase at Cork too."
British National Hunt trainers
Olly Murphy
Murphy on Booster Bob:
"It was quite remarkable how he won the Greatwood Gold Cup last season. The plan is to go to Newbury for the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Handicap Chase at the Coral Gold Cup meeting. Whether he has a prep run beforehand I don’t know as he is very good fresh. I still think he is off an attractive mark."
Dan Skelton
Skelton on Grey Dawning:
“I think we will have a go at the Gold Cup this season. His first run this season will be the Betfair Chase. We were gutted to get beaten in it last year, but take nothing away from the winner as he was superb in those conditions. Hopefully, this year there won’t be too much rain on the day and we can give it our best go. He ran so well last year, despite the ground, and we would love to do it again on slightly different underfoot conditions. We tried too hard afterwards in the King George, but we thought why not have a go. Good horses are resilient, and he showed that afterwards.
Paul Nicholls
Nicholls on Kalif Du Berlais:
“He has now got to take a step forward in open company. He is only five, but has massively improved through the summer physically. He won well at Aintree, but strictly on form needs to improve on what he did that day. It was a shame that I couldn’t run him in the Arkle, but his owners were keen not to take on L’Eau du Sud, and I could understand that. I think he would have gone close to winning, but we got him fresh for Aintree and he won well."
Ben Pauling
Pauling on Fiercely Proud:
“I think he is best fresh and he will be trained for two halves of the season. He is going to go chasing. He could be a little bit of a bull in a China shop over a fence, but we will see. He is very good early doors. It was a disastrous start last season as Callum (Pritchard) came off him going down to the start at Cheltenham then he fell at Ascot, then he won there. He had a fibrillating heart at Newbury, but he won a big one and that paid for his season. We will start him at Ascot at the beginning of November. We have to get a lot of work into him as he is a real stocky sort, but he looks well. If he was good enough he would be a dangerous one in a Wayward Lad as he does have a lot of speed, but realistically he is a novice handicap chaser. If it doesn’t work out he will revert back to those Grade Two hurdles like the Kingwell.”
Joe Tizzard
Tizzard on The Changing Man:
“For his first run back it was a beautiful run and he showed that he is still competitive in those big staying handicaps. I suspect we will go for the Coral Gold Cup now, however the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle is on the same day and we will look at both options. He is so consistent, and although he has been second a good few times, he is as genuine as they come. We will have a look at the Grand National later in the season.”
Alan King
King on The Doyen Chief:
"Originally he had to go right-handed, but we changed the bridle and other things and he ended up winning well around Warwick. I would like to get one run into him then I hope he might be a horse for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury. I tried once to win that race with Smad Place without having a run beforehand and I learnt my lesson after a bit of advice from Mr Sherwood! He was always pretty promising last season and just got better as the season went on. We just had to iron out the fact that he always wanted to go right. He might always be slightly better going right handed, but the way he won around Warwick I think we can get away with it around Newbury. He has got a very good win to run ratio, but is not the quickest so I think going up in trip has helped him."
Jamie Snowden
Snowden on 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, 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."
Mark Howard's analysis
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