EARLY CLUES TO BIG RACES

Paul Ferguson looks at the highs and lows of the jumps campaign so far

The busy Festive period – as is often the case – will tell us plenty more about what is to come in the second half of the season, but what of the first three months of the National Hunt season?

Let’s start with the 2m hurdle division, which certainly looks ‘up in the air’ at present. Of course, we sadly lost last year’s Champion Hurdle winner Espoir D’Allen during the summer and many expected Willie Mullins’ Supreme Novices’ winner Klassical Dream to take control of the division. However, he was beaten by stablemate Saldier on his reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and the five-year-old will need to take a big step forward in the Leopardstown December Hurdle (December 29).

Saldier will miss that race and is expected to return to action in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Domestically, two-time Champion Hurdle winner Buveur d’Air was beaten at Newcastle, where he picked up a nasty looking injury with a piece of fence piercing his hoof, which could see him side-lined for the majority of the season. There must be a strong possibility that we won’t see him again until next autumn.

Stable-mates Pentland Hills (beaten in the International Hurdle on his reappearance) and Fusil Raffles (a rather unconvincing winner of the Elite Hurdle) need to show improved form next time, with the latter reportedly on target for the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day.

Another from Seven Barrows entered the equation recently, with Call Me Lord proving that he doesn’t have to race right-handed to be seen to best effect, when staying on well to win the aforementioned International Hurdle in mid-December. Without being disrespectful to the runner-up, beating Ballyandy by a neck wouldn’t really be Champion Hurdle form and given that plenty of his form is over further, perhaps he could be one for the Aintree Hurdle in the spring.