Mullins and Henderson among those unveiling the next generation over Christmas

There are 13 Grade 1 races to be staged before the end of the year. There are championship events either side of the Irish Sea. Famous handicaps and nearly every one of the sport's biggest stars will be out over the next few days. There's little more satisfying for a racing diehard than those stolen few minutes on Christmas Day studying the form for the following afternoon but, with 11 meetings on Boxing Day alone, it's practically impossible not to miss something.

With the wave of young horses ready to come out, we're sure to have new talking points to rake over once this particularly hectic period is over. Irish bumpers and maiden hurdles tend to be the first place you look for them, a search made easier by some of them being in the opening race of Leopardstown's Christmas meeting.

A mini revival for Edward O'Grady sees him on course for his best seasonal tally in years and it would be quite something if a trainer safely ranked among the Cheltenham all-time greats could find one to get him back among the winners there. O'Grady has made entries for a number of young horses over the Christmas period but undoubtedly the most exciting looks to be the JP McManus-owned No Flies On Him (12.00 Leopardstown, Tuesday).

The Westerner gelding carried the green and gold silks in his only start in a point-to-point for Derek O'Connor, who trained and rode him to victory over two and a half miles at Knockanard. No Flies On Him came three-quarters of a length clear of Jango Baie, who was bought for £170,000 and heads to the Formby Novices' Hurdle as one of Britain's best young talents, while third-placed Williethebuilder, also a six-figure transfer, looks a decent project for Dan Skelton to work with.

Concertista was an outstanding mare over hurdles and fences and her half-brother Anotherway has moved to the same connectionsCredit: Caroline Norris

One of his rivals is Anotherway (12.00 Leopardstown, Tuesday), who had a decent career on the Flat so heads straight over hurdles as one of Willie Mullins' abundant Supreme-type prospects. Isaac Souede and Simon Munir have returned to the same source as with Concertista, the top-class half-sister to Anotherway and who also raced at middle distances in France for the Wertheimers. Anotherway, by Intello, was even better on the level and was not far behind exceptional stayer Simca Mille in one of his final outings at Angers in the middle of 2022.

Memories of Christmas only just past will still be there for those who found Tornado Flyer when he won the 2021 King George at 28-1. Mullins also has his Flemensfirth full-sister Magic McColgan (3.50 Limerick, Tuesday), who was bought for a punchy €88,000 as a foal and is in the next wave of formidable fillies and mares for Kenny Alexander as Honeysuckle settles into her new life as a broodmare.

Gavin Cromwell, meanwhile, has trained five consecutive winners for McManus out of the owner's smart Sway and three could be running over Christmas, headed by recent Troytown runner-up Limerick Lace and novice chaser Inothewayurthinkin. Next in line is Mywayofthinkin (3.30 Leopardstown, Tuesday), who is by Flemensfirth and could easily follow the example of his siblings and be out of the gates early.

Mywayofthinkin's sister Limerick Lace is a classy chasing mareCredit: Patrick McCann

Garde La Peche (12.19 Limerick, Wednesday) was towards the top of the podium when knocked down to Mags O'Toole at this year's Goffs Aintree Sale for £170,000 and is now with the combination of Henry de Bromhead and Brian Acheson's Robcour. The daughter of Kapgarde dotted up from a subsequent winner on her point-to-point debut at Durrow for Joseph Ryan and is from a family full of winners in France.

Gold In The Rivers (12.05 Leopardstown, Thursday) was the joint-fourth most expensive store from the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale when knocked down to Aiden Murphy and MV Magnier for €220,000, and is in the colours of what appears an Irish powerhouse combination in the Little Emperor Syndicate, as he was previously registered to Sue Magnier and Sean Mulryan. 

Gordon Elliott has smart performers in Brighterdaysahead and Dee Capo, who cost even more at that same sale, and this fellow is a Walk In The Park half-brother to Philip Hobbs' classy Wait For Me.

Nicky Henderson isn't going to relax at any point until about 2pm on Boxing Day, when he has got Constitution Hill's appearance in the Christmas Hurdle out of the way. After that, he can focus his unencumbered attention on one or two fascinating newcomers.

Sir Gino (1.20 Kempton, Wednesday) boasts impressive credentials as he was the winner of the Prix Wild Monarch, a Listed hurdle for three-year-old newcomers each April which draws the eye of every European bloodstock agent. Sir Gino popped the last and wore down Salvator Mundi in the closing stages, with the runner-up now in the Willie Mullins yard. The pair were a long way clear but the third and fourth have won races and performed at a decent level in the meantime.

Carlos and Yann Lerner had been training Sir Gino for his breeders, the Deshayes family, and now he is in the formidable yellow and black checks of Joe and Marie Donnelly. A son of Haras de la Barbottiere's It's Gino, in-form sire of Grade 1 hurdle winner Lalor and Coral Gold Cup winner Datsalrightgino, he has plenty of zip on his dam's side.

The Happy Chapati (3.55 Chepstow, Wednesday), who sounds more like the name of a great Indian restaurant in the making, is a less experienced member of the Seven Barrows squad but no less intriguing. Picked up by Highflyer Bloodstock for a potentially reasonable £78,000 at the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale, he's from the final crop of Champs Elysees and a half-brother to evergreen hurdler The New One and the progressive The Newest One.

The continued improvement of Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore at their Kinross base, through Grand National success, has certainly attracted a better calibre of owner. Sean and Bernadine Mulryan are now among the ranks and Walk On Quest (1.00/3.20 Wetherby, Wednesday or 3.02 Kelso, Friday), a Walk In The Park brother to Punchestown festival winner Broomfield Bijou from the good family of Petit Robin and Hurricane Fly, joined them for £100,000 at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale after finishing a close second in a maiden point at Loughrea. 

It isn't unheard of for the all-weather cards at Wolverhampton through the final days of the year to have an interesting two-year-old. There are a few that have already shown promise scattered through three novice races at Dunstall Park, but the newcomer of most note could be Dame Darcey (6.00 Wolverhampton, Wednesday). She was bought from Tally-Ho Stud for 150,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2 by the Lloyd-Webber family's Watership Down Stud, presumably to be a potential broodmare as a daughter of Kodiac.

Dame Darcey is coming out late but could still be sharp as she's a half-sister to The Mackem Bullet, Brian Ellison's Lowther and Cheveley Park runner-up who was later bought by the Yoshida family, while her further siblings She's So Nice and Kick On Girl were winners who might have reached a higher level themselves.

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