Four horses you may have missed at the Welsh Racing Festival to put in your tracker for the new jumps season

Chepstow's three-day Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival heralded the start of the core jumps campaign and here the Racing Post's trackside reporter James Stevens picks the eyecatchers from the meeting who he thinks will make a splash this season . . .

Masked Man

Won the 2m novice hurdle on Friday

This was my standout runner across the meeting and he looks destined for big things. Expectations were always going to be high given he won an Irish point easily and represents ever-powerful owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. But he delivered in fantastic style, bolting up by 12 lengths under

Could The Masked Man follow the same path as Potters Charm?Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The jockey was standing in for JJ Slevin, absent due to kidney stones, and kept it straightforward when powering clear in the straight and charging away in the closing stages. It was a performance which advertised Masked Man's raw natural talent, and further improvement will come with experience.

Connections did not identify a clear target, but he has a bit of speed and the Formby Novices' Hurdle, which team Twiston-Davies won with Potters Charm last season, looks an obvious winter aim.

Moneygarrow

Third in the Persian War on Friday

The theme of the successful horses at this meeting was fitness and an ability to handle fast ground, as evidenced by Persian War winner Sticktotheplan. Those two attributes did not apply to Moneygarrow, yet he still ran a stormer on his comeback.

Ridden cold by Harry Skelton, he made a challenge in the straight but backed out of it quite quickly in the manner of a horse who would improve for this effort.

The Skeltons have an excellent record with quality novices in handicap hurdles and the fact that they have given Moneygarrow an early run could indicate that route is an option this season. He might just be better at two miles this term, so perhaps the County Hurdle will beckon in the spring.

Ammes

Won the 2m juvenile hurdle on Saturday

There was an element of inevitability at this meeting with Sean Bowen riding winners and James Owen landing juvenile hurdles. Ammes is clearly a leading young prospect for this campaign, having brushed up his jumping from his victory at Sedgefield to dominate in an 11-length victory.

Owen has already said he is working back from the Cheltenham Festival and Ammes was cut to 16-1 for the Triumph Hurdle. That makes limited appeal at such a premature stage of the season, but he is clearly a contender.

Gibbs Island: looks destined for good thingsCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Gibbs Island

Won the 2m four-year-old hurdle (a limited handicap) on Saturday

Tom Lacey has made a great start to the season and Gibbs Island, who was deemed good enough to run in the four-year-old Grade 1 contests at Cheltenham and Aintree, cemented his place as a top talent for this campaign.

He tanked into a competitive contest under topweight before finishing strongly to win by five and a half lengths. That was off 132 and he can expect a new mark in the 140s, so he has to end up in the better handicaps this season.

The Greatwood at Cheltenham in November would be a possible next target.

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