For many racegoers, the changing of the clocks signals the start of the National Hunt season proper. MarcusArmytagereveals his top horses, trainersandjockeys
Horses to watch
Last season’s two best horses, Altior and Native River, ran only five times between them and neither was out before Newbury’s February meeting. This time, however, both are, enticingly, set for full seasons.
The two-mile programme is written in stone, so trainer Nicky Henderson really has no choice but to start Altior, unbeaten in three seasons and unbeaten over obstacles, in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on December 8. He won’t need to have improved to hang on to his Queen Mother Champion Chase title at the Cheltenham Festival next March now that the Gold Cup has been mentioned as a possible target for Ireland's Willie Mullins-trained Arkle winner, Footpad.
The best race of last season was the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which Colin Tizzard’s Native River (ridden by Richard Johnson) and Mr Henderson’s Might Bite (Nico de Boinville) went toe to toe heroically for 3¼ miles. Native River will run first at Haydock in the Betfair Chase on November 24, which is where he’ll probably meet Might Bite again and, possibly, his stable companion Thistlecrack, depending on how he gets on in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on November 3.
Tom George won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last season with Summerville Boy, despite him smashing the last two flights, and he can challenge Mr Henderson’s dual Champion Hurdler Buveur d’Air for top hurdling honours. Summerville Boy will stay over hurdles and be aimed at the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on December 1, with Mr George keen to get a run into him beforehand.
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