Emerging talent gives British jump racing reason to be cheerful

The chill is in the air again and the core jumps season is poised to return. For me, Chepstow’s two-day fixture is the point in the calendar when the shackles of pre-season buzz and anticipation for the new campaign can be released. It is back and the cards on Friday and Saturday certainly do not disappoint.

I unashamedly favour jumps over the Flat. As a journalist I think it stems from my love of an underdog story, and traditionally there are significantly more over jumps, but more generally I love how each day continually builds towards that brilliant Cheltenham crescendo in March. It is certainly not all about the four days, however, as there is much to savour before then and I cannot wait.

I have enjoyed a bit of a road trip in recent weeks, visiting as many yards in the south west as possible in the last month, and it is thrilling to see some of those leading stable hopes sprinkled across the weekend’s entries.

I recall Paul Nicholls speaking particularly highly of juvenile hurdler Blueking D'Oroux, who runs on Saturday, while Saint Segal – also entered on Saturday – is one who Jane Williams considers an extremely high-class prospect. Those dreams could be over on day one, or they may be just beginning – that’s what makes it special.

Saint Segal (right), who holds an entry at Chepstow on Saturday, is considered a high-class prospect by trainer Jane WilliamsCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The excitement and anticipation of a new dawn has been a welcome escape from the depressing mood within the UK. The country has changed dramatically since Paul Nicholls ended last season with a fantastic five-timer on the final day at Sandown in April – Britain now has a new prime minister and a new monarch, but the country’s economy has reached a fairly dismal state, and we are all dealing with the frightening consequences of the cost of living crisis.

Unsurprisingly, it has led to a significant hit on racecourse attendances on the Flat season over the summer, and jumps tracks will be bracing themselves for a similarly tough winter. The situation has worsened in recent weeks due to spiralling mortgage rates and the falling value of the pound.

Crowd sizes have also slumped at other sports and leisure events, but racing also has to be mindful about betting turnover, which is driven by the product itself. Field sizes continue to disappoint in British racing, while the calibre of the horses appearing on the big ITV days will have a knock-on effect when it comes to interest in bigger races.

A glance at the Cheltenham and Aintree in March and April respectively gives an alarming reminder of the lack of quality in comparison to the Irish horses, and is no surprise that British horses top the betting market in only nine of the 26 Cheltenham Festival races with odds available.

I hold my hands up to stereotyping here, but I see jumps fans as the sport’s most passionate and dedicated fans. Being soaked at Sandown on getting wet at Wincanton is not fun, but the enthusiasm for the product makes it worth it.

The cost of living crisis is going to put racing’s toughest fans under additional scrutiny, and the product British jump racing is offering is certainly weaker than it should be.

So this year I retain my excitement, but remain apprehensive.
Cheltenham decided to cap the capacity for festival week last month because it felt uncomfortably busy, and that suggests things are relatively healthy at the elite level. A lot has changed since March, however. Smaller tracks may find it tough, but if the big days continue to thrive in the current climate then that is something the sport can and should be extremely proud of.

There are positives too regarding the quality of horses in Britain.
Changes are soon to come from the Quality Jump Racing Review Group, which was formed in the aftermath of the thumping handed out to British-trained horses by Ireland at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.

In the group’s latest release in August, it stated changes could even be implemented for the second half of the season. That process is a sensible step to try to benefit the level of competition and tackle the problem of small-field sizes.

There are concerns about our sport, but equally reasons to be positive. No jumps season is the same, but the sport can be certain it will garner an honest assessment by its results in the coming months.

I may sound downbeat on the whole, but there is a glimmer of hope that the Irish dominance may well be resisted in the coming years.

In my visits to Nicholls and Joe Tizzard – two of the West Country’s most powerful yards – I noticed a real emphasis on bringing in young talent, similar to how a football manager overhauls his squad in the summer transfer window.

These two powerful yards have not had a Cheltenham Festival winner in the last two years, but have responded by bringing in a new generation. It is also great to see the owners are clearly on board.

Nicholls has 48 horses who have yet to run for the champion trainer, which equates to about a third of the equine pool at Ditcheat, while Tizzard heads into the winter with 31 unraced horses – a similar percentage. That is a huge pool of untapped talent.

It will take a while to topple the Irish at Cheltenham but perhaps the future is brighter than we think.

Big weekend can highlight progress made in Wales

Jump racing is not my only sporting passion, I take great pride in being a member of Wales’s ‘Red Wall’ and am counting down the days to a visit to Qatar and hopefully some memories of a lifetime.

Yet while Welsh football has rightfully gained the spotlight, it is worth praising the similar progress that Welsh racing has made in an even shorter space of time.

The results speak for themselves, Secret Reprieve ended a 54-year wait for a home winner when landing the 2020 Welsh National (held in January 2021), and Iwilldoit kept the country’s biggest race on home soil last season.

In the training ranks, Christian Williams, Peter Bowen, Sam Thomas and Evan Williams all recorded significant winners, while there is no shortage of top Welsh jockeys with the Bowens, David Probert and Adam Wedge all established members of the weighing room while Jack Tudor, Lorcan Williams, Ben Jones and Connor Brace are among those who make the future pretty bright too.

Behind the scenes there is a real push to improve and celebrate the quality of Welsh racing too. Chepstow’s two-day fixture on Friday and Saturday is already a key point in the jumps calendar, but the Welsh Champion Hurdle has been moved to Sunday at Ffos Las in an attempt to add lustre to the weekend’s action.

An all-party group for horseracing has also been created in the Welsh Senedd, which shows the sport holds real interest at a political level which is highly encouraging.

Despite these positive signs, there will be no Grade 1 race over jumps in Wales this season.

The Finale Juvenile Hurdle, which is held on Welsh National day, was a Grade 1 contest last season, but was lowered in level by the BHA after it was decided it had failed to meet the standards required to be a top-level contest.

If Wales continues to make great strides as a force in racing perhaps the country’s race programme is an area to revisit in the future.

Download the new Racing Post app here to read exclusive content from the biggest names. There are brilliant betting masterclasses from Tom Segal, Paul Kealy and David Jennings, Q&As with pro punters, trainers and jockeys, plus much more. Download the new app now to access all of this unrivalled content.