The turf
Ten to Follow
Robin Oakley
Comforting, then, to turn home thoughts from abroad (Maputo racetrack being no longer operative) to this year's Ten to Fol- low for the jumps. And what a season it promises to be with so many past winners of the big races still around and so many talented young challengers. The 1996 National winner Rough Quest will be back to tackle last year's convincing winner Lord Gyllene. Assuming we get softer ground this winter, the previous year's winner Col- lier Bay could give the 1997 victor Make A Stand a real race of it for the Champion Hurdle. And younger stars like John Gif- ford's Boardroom Shuffle should come into the top hurdling picture.
After his four successes last term, I will back Boardroom Shuffle until he is beaten. The same goes for Martin Pipe's Indian Jockey, whose ten wins over hurdles and fences included the final eight on the trot. Pipe's front-running Make A Stand falls into the same category, as he seems to improve with every run. I am assuming that David Nicholson will have ironed out the jumping blemishes which cost his front- runner Mulligan his last two races after he had won his first five contests over fences. He, too, should be backed until beaten, as should Mary Reveley's mare Marello, who in seven starts so far has won three bumpers and four novice hurdles.
All of those, though, are too obvious for the Top Ten. And there is one other cate- gory to consider before I list my offerings. Watch out for the ex-invalids, top horses which might have been included had they not missed part or all of last season through injury Best watched first time out is Toby Balding's Bellator, impressive win-
ner of two novice hurdles before suffering a stress fracture of his ankle bone. The same goes for Charlie Mann's General Rusty, the ex Charisma Gold Cup winner who needs fast going, the Whitbread-type Amtrak Express, now moved from Nicky Henderson's yard to Jenny Pitman, and Henrietta Knight's potentially top-class hurdler Red Blazer. If sound, all should win good races, but there is an if.
David Nicholson's Storm Alert should be backed at Ascot and nowhere else. And if you are looking for a hurdle win at a nice price Simon Earle's The Lightmaker went straight into my notebook after his first and only bumper, and Reg Akehurst's well-bred Kadamann, sixth on his debut in 1996, has been given time to develop since. He should do well for his son Jon, now taking over the South Hatch stable. If Amanda Perrett and husband Mark have taught the headstrong Clinking to settle, he, too, could win a race or two.
But what you want in a Ten to Follow, I believe, are horses which are likely to give you a showing in some of the season's top contests and which could, if we are lucky, run up a sequence of wins. So here are my selections.
Or Royal, trained by Martin Pipe, was a leading novice chaser last season.. Best at the minimum two miles, he needs soft ground and should be good for the heart drugs market as he needs producing at the very last minute. Strong Promise, still only six, offers precisely that. Tough as old boots and carrying the development of an older horse, he should now stay the dis- tance of the King George, which will be Geoff Hubbard's target with him.
Any sensible list must include a Gordon Richards horse. I go for Addington Boy, a nine-year-old Cheltenham specialist who had to miss last year's Gold Cup. He would like a repeat of last year's fast conditions. Another trainer who cannot be left out is the youthful genius Aidan O'Brien so I include Istabraq, who landed a huge gam- ble for J.P. McManus in the Sun Alliance Hurdle. Also from Ireland Martin Hourig- an's nine-year-old Doran's Pride was third `I'm not going to bother with exams, I'm going to sleep my way to the top.' in last year's Gold Cup and will be aimed for it again. He is sure to pick up other races along the way.
Tullymurry Toff, Malcolm Jefferson's six-year-old, scored three wins over hurdles last season and should be one of this term's leading novice chasers. Another who goes chasing this season is Lets Be Frank, from the Mr Mulligan Gold Cup-winning stable of Noel Chance. He scored three hurdle wins in the early part of last season and stays 2m4f well. Charles Egerton's Shadow Leader, also six, was a brilliant novice hur- dler last season, unbeaten in his four races and he lowered the Cheltenham course record when vanquishing Princeful as well as taking the Scottish Champion Hurdle. He appears to act on any ground though is said to have tender knees and to prefer some cut in the ground.
Finally, I go for Jenny Pitman's Ment- more Towers. He caught the eye in staying novice hurdles last season and will race over hurdles again this term before being put to the bigger obstacles in the new year. As a Pitman horse he will not be over- raced but should notch some quality wins. May they all stay sound and be counted back in again at the end of the season.
Robin Oakley is political editor of the BBC.
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