MULLINS LEAPS UP FOR MAX REWARD

Paul Ferguson takes a cool look back over the highs and lows of the 2023-2024 jumps season

The 2023-2024 National Hunt season came to an end recently and rather than looking ahead to the Derby and Royal Ascot - meetings which are both well covered within this issue of Racing Ahead I thought I would look back at the jumps action.

Domestically, the season concluded at Sandown on April 27, where Harry Cobden was crowned champion jockey for the first time - beating Sean Bowen by seven - whilst Willie Mullins was champion trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea. Mullins saddled only 28 winners in Britain during the 2023-2024 campaign, but following the victory of I Am Maximus in the Grand National, his coronation looked inevitable and he went on to saddle winners at Ffos Las, Ludlow, Perth, Ayr and Sandown in the closing weeks of the season.

A four-timer on Scottish Grand National day - including victory in the showpiece event from Ayr and a double at Sandown - again, including victory in the bet365 Gold Cupon the final day of the season epitomised his dominance and his British CV also, of course, included this year's Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup.

Back to the jockeys briefly and Patrick Wadge - who finished 23rd in the overall standings for the campaign - won the conditional jockeys' title. Based with Lucinda Russell in Kinross, Wadge rode 32 of his 37 winners for the two-time Grand National winning trainer and looks to have the talent to go a very long way.

Talking of young riders and it would be remiss of me not to touch upon the incredible ride of Joe Anderson aboard Transmission at Plumpton in early January. Having made a serious mistake at the sixth flight, Anderson was almost unseated from the Neil Mulholland-trained seven-year-old, but somehow defied gravity to retain the partnership, after which he rode without irons for a short period. Despite all of this adversity, the duo ran out 2 length winners in what really was a remarkable performance from the saddle.