The bumper division is so often dominated by the powerhouse stables of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott but, based on Timeform ratings, smaller yards are taking high rank this season.
Timeform's highest-rated bumper horse in Britain or Ireland in the 2025/26 campaign is Oh My Word, who earned a figure of 112p for his 11-length victory in a listed race at Navan that has a roll of honour featuring subsequent Champion Bumper winners Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard. In contrast to that pair, who were both trained by Elliott when successful at Navan, Oh My Word came from a more unlikely source in Thomas Cleary. Oh My Word provided both of Cleary's national hunt wins in 2025, while he had only one Flat winner, Idomything, last year.
Chris Gordon's Bass Hunter leads the way in Britain, with his listed victory at Ascot in December earning a Timeform rating of 111p. Two other horses who have impressed in Britain in recent weeks are Diamant Dore, who achieved a rating of 108 for a wide-margin win at Ayr on his debut for Adrian Keatley, and Jedd O'Keeffe's Ronnie Russet, who enhanced his rating to 106 when winning at Newcastle for the second time.
The Irish Avatar, an easy winner on debut at Navan, is the pick of Mullins' performers on ratings on 103p.
Timeform bumper handicapper James Davies said: "It is currently looking like a below-par season with nothing yet producing the sort of figure that would see them finish in the frame in a typical renewal of the Champion Bumper. However, it is fair to assume that a few haven’t had the opportunity to produce such a lofty rating yet and the Grade 2s at the Dublin Racing Festival will no doubt provide a clearer picture.
"As thing stands, Oh My Word is currently pick of the Irish and Bass Hunter is leading the British, though it’s worth noting Bass Hunter is potentially too one dimensional to excel in a Champion Bumper and will likely find it much harder to dominate a race like that."
On a couple of the more impressive recent bumper winners, Davies added: "Diamant Dore looked something well out of the ordinary when sprinting away impressively from his rivals on his debut at Ayr. I took the view that the penalised runner-up ran at least as well as when creating a good impression on his debut, which framed the big rating, for all that wide-margin bumper winners on testing ground do have to come with a degree of caution.
"Ronnie Russet has improved appreciably with each run to date, showing encouraging speed considering his breeding when defying a penalty in quite taking fashion at Newcastle. He's from a useful family the yard has had success with which, along with his run-to-run progress, bodes well for his future over jumps."
Timeform's highest-rated bumper horses in 2025/26:
- 112p Oh My Word (Thomas Cleary)
- 111p Bass Hunter (Chris Gordon)
- 110 Keep Him Company (Gordon Elliott)
- 109 Saint Clovis (Thomas Cooper)
- 108 Diamant Dore (Adrian Keatley)
- 106 Boycetown (Gavin Cromwell)
- 106 Ronnie Russet (Jedd O'Keeffe)
- 106 Tally Ho Back (Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies)
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