Maurice Burns, Tom Goff and Brendan Holland join our jury

What are you looking forward to most in 2019?

Maurice Burns, Rathasker Stud: I'm looking forward to seeing how the first three-year-olds by our boy Bungle Inthejungle get on – especially Rumble Inthejungle, who looked so good in the Molecomb and had some serious horses behind him that day. They have the size and scope to suggest they'll flourish at three. I'm also keenly anticipating the next juveniles by Bungle. They've gone to some very good hotels.

Tom Goff, Blandford Bloodstock: A potentially superb clash of the generations in the all-aged middle-distance Flat races. It's a pity that Roaring Lion has retired, but with Enable, a hopefully fit Masar, Too Darn Hot, Quorto, Anthony Van Dyck and many others we don't even know about yet, it could be a season to remember.

Brendan Holland, Grove Stud: I always look forward to the Guineas, that's the start of the Flat season proper and when we get the first indication of who's going to be a top sprinter, top miler or a Derby horse. Also, we haven't seen Calyx for so long that it'll be interesting to see if he retains his ability and if so, what trip he proves best at.

Matthew Houldsworth, Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock: Phoenix Of Spain – who we bought as a yearling – getting back on the track and hopefully being competitive in a few of the Classics.

Matthew Houldsworth: bought Classic prospect Phoenix Of SpainCredit: Laura Green

Ed Player, Whatton Manor Stud: From a Whatton point of view, I'm hugely excited about seeing all our yearlings make it onto the track and hopefully start winning lots of races. We also sold Glorious Empire and Worth Waiting, so it would be great to see them continue to give us some special moments. That aside, it would be amazing to see Enable win a third Arc and Too Darn Hot become the next racing sensation.

What are you most apprehensive about in 2019?

MB: The industry seems to go up and down in ten-year cycles; it was the same even in my father's time. Things are down a bit now but they'll pick up again. My biggest concern is Brexit's impact on horse transportation. We simply can't go back to a time when we had horses standing around at ports for hours. Whichever way the ball hops, no deal or otherwise, industry leaders will need to ensure that doesn't happen.

TG: All of the yearlings I bought this year turning out to be extremely slow. It doesn't matter how much experience, work, analysis or cash you bring to the selection process – if they haven't got an engine, are unsound or they don't try then you're history.

BH: The only thing that makes me apprehensive is indifferent stock at Grove Stud. With everything else you've just got to kick on - the business has been around for 250 years and will be going for 250 more after I leave it.

MH: I suppose the obvious thing to say is Brexit and the impact that could have, but also a lack of domestic interest in buying those £20,000-£30,000-priced yearlings to race. From an agency point of view, we've noticed that there are less and less people interested at this level.
Ed Player: concerned about cuts to prize-moneyCredit: Laura Green

EP: I'm concerned about cuts in prize-money. The government's decision to reduce FOBT stakes is anticipated to lead to a cut in media rights payments to racecourses in the region of £40-60 million and has already led to ARC announcing that they're reducing prize money by 16 per cent. I just hope that the very smart people heading up Together For The Tote can start to mitigate some of this decline.

Besides better prize-money, what else can we as a sport do to attract new owners?

MB: A century ago, people had a greater connection with horses but we've lost that as people live in towns and cities now. We need to re-establish a more tactile relationship with horses and make them the focus of race days – ensure people aren't just going for the post-racing concerts. Otherwise we just need to make racing as fun and entertaining as possible.
Maurice Burns: 'We need to re-establish a more tactile relationship with horses'Credit: Laura Green

TG: It's impossible to divorce prize-money from that question as that is the main challenge facing UK racing going forward. If you take the Australian model as the best example, then the more we can do to imitate that, the better - but it's all about prize-money.

BH: A lot of lip service gets paid to the idea of owner experience on the racecourse, but there's loads of tracks that are nowhere near scratch yet. The best way to attract new owners is to look after your existing owners, and then they'll bring in their friends. Chester, Ascot and Hamilton would be leading lights in different parts of the country, and if every track could match those three I'm sure we'd attract new owners into the game.

MH: Encourage more racing clubs or syndicates. Sharing the experience - and the cost - with friends and family is a better way to increase domestic involvement in racing. I also feel that racing is seen from the outside world as elitist. There's nothing worse than being at the racetrack and being told you can't go here or there because of the type of badge, sticker or wristband you've got on. I appreciate that there are certain zones for owners and trainers, but the rest needs to be loosened up a bit.

EP: I think the key remains with syndicates and racing partnerships. Middleham Park Racing and many others have been extremely successful in making racing seem less elitist but still compete at the top level. Racecourses have generally been great at trying to improve owners' experiences through free food, better facilities and more free tickets; this needs to be applauded and pushed even further.

It seemed a vintage year for the first-crop two-year-old sires in 2018. Which excited you most?

MB: It does indeed look like a good crop. We know by now that No Nay Never, Kingman, Charm Spirit – and Bungle of course! - are very exciting so I'll go for a less obvious one who hasn't shown his hand yet and say Sea The Moon. He's a good-looking horse himself and is getting good-looking stock, and he's exceeded expectations in what he's achieved so far. His runners look very progressive.

TG: Both Kingman and No Nay Never are obviously hugely exiting stallions. But I would also keep a close eye on Sea The Moon, who has done exceptionally well for a staying horse at this stage of his career - I'm a big fan.

BH: It was an unusual year in that several stallions looked very promising. Bungle Inthejungle exceeded expectations, No Nay Never was the go-to stallion for everybody, Kingman was hugely exciting, but the one I'm looking forward to most is Australia. He has a very similar profile to his own sire, Galileo. He's out of a staying mare himself and I'd be amazed if his progeny didn't improve as much from two to three as his own sire's do.

Brendan Holland: excited by Australia's first three-year-oldsCredit: Laura Green

MH: Definitely Kingman. His progeny seem to have that touch of class and I think he could be a very special stallion going forward.

EP: I've always been a huge admirer of Kingman and it was great to see his stock do so well at two. Look Around, one of his stakes winners, was born and raised at Whatton. What's so exciting is that he had some very impressive winners late in the year who looked as though they would improve massively from two to three. He could easily be the most exciting stallion in Europe by the end of 2019. I'm also very impressed by the start made by Charm Spirit.

Who is your pick to be next year's leading first-crop two-year-old sire?

MB: The likes of Gutaifan and Anjaal, who stands here, should get plenty of early two-year-olds in their own image. But one who I think might surprise people, as his yearlings weren't the best received at the sales, is Make Believe. He was an extremely good racehorse and his father [Makfi] was a Guineas winner, as was his grandsire [Dubawi].

TG: I liked and bought some Muhaarar colts and fillies, but I really did love the progeny of Gleneagles. They just had loads of class and looked like real athletes.

BH: I have a few Gleneagles in at the moment and I love them - he's exciting going forward. But the one I like the most for next year is Muhaarar. He had a great book of mares and I've got two fillies by him and they're both extremely athletic.

Gleneagles: gets the nod to be leading first-season sire in 2019Credit: Coolmore

MH: Gleneagles; I really liked the yearlings I saw by him. He's by the best sire in the world, was a champion himself and comes from a stallion-producing family.

EP: Gleneagles had some lovely yearlings but I suspect they're likely to be better three-year-olds so my pick would be Gutaifan, with Muhaarar a close second. We have two yearlings to sell by both in 2019 so I hope I'm right.

Give us a dark horse on the track for 2019

MB: It has to be the Bungle Inthejungle colt out of Nafa who we sold to top the Goffs Sportsman's Sale at €90,000. He was the easiest yearling to prep and when we showed him he marched up and down like a true soldier. He's gone to a good team in Roger Marley and David Redvers.

TG: There's a lovely Lawman filly out of Drama Class I bought as a foal for 170,000gns from the Ballymacoll dispersal at Tattersalls in 2017. She's a sister to Eleanora Duse and Scottish Stage and the third dam is Sun Princess; she's with John Gosden so fingers firmly crossed.

BH: I sold two breeze-up horses at Arqana and both won first time out. One is Kadar, he's with Karl Burke and I know Karl thinks the world of him, he's potentially as good a horse as he's ever trained. Some of his homework has been outstanding and he's been unlucky not to run again. The other is Fashion's Star, a Sea The Stars filly with Roger Charlton, who looks very exciting for next year.
Kadar: the Grove Stud graduate looks a bright prospect for 2019Credit: John Grossick

MH: The No Nay Never filly out of Meeting In Paris. She was bred by myself and Alan Marsh and was sold at Goffs UK in the summer to Karl Burke and Ontoawinner. I'm hoping she's the next Quiet Reflection.

EP: Ann Van Kleef should make up into a top three-year-old in 2019. Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, she was a very easy winner of her only start at Chantilly, putting the race to bed in a matter of strides. Two others to follow are Fox Never Quits, a 420,000gns Dark Angel yearling colt trained by Sir Michael Stoute, and End Over End, an unraced two-year-old filly by Intello in training with Archie Watson. Hopefully both will win some smart races.