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"ONE TO JUMP!!" - Horses to follow for the remainder of the 2001/2002 national hunt season by furlongtogo.co.uk
FOREWORD
After a season which many will wish to forget, due the ravishes of foot and mouth, as well as it being one of the wettest winters I can remember, we at least had the thrill of a finale which more than made up for it, with Ad Hoc confirming my impression that he would a better horse in the second half of the season, when running away with the Whitbread Gold Cup, Marlborough locking horns with Go Ballistic, in the 3mile Championship chase; Baracouda confirming his position as the best novice we saw on this side of the water, and Edredon Bleu and Fadalko fighting out one of the best finishes to race you'll probably ever see. Meanwhile in Ireland, Ned Kelly, as well as Sackville, Like-A-Butterfly, and Colonel Braxton were confirming what talents they are for the future.
The season opens out with the appearance of being one of the most open and competitive in recent years, and its quick conceivable that by the end of it, there could be a complete 'changing of the guard'.
THE LIST
Since the end of the last season, The Rook, aided by his co writers Christopher Iles, and The Flat Man have been sifting through the formbook/sales returns for horses to follow this season. This year the list comprising runners trained in Britain, Ireland, France and Germany, and includes horses that raced in these countries, as well as Australia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, New Zealand. As usual the list large as we feel it helps to have a 'core' of horses to keep an eye on. We have had to leave some out, but will include them as and when in our FUTURE WINNERS feature during the winter
The format is as much as the same as is recent years.
We have avoided many of the big names of jumping, mainly because we all know who they are, and they usually offer very little in the way of betting opportunities (...besides you can hundreds of similar features who will offer you these horses!!)
That isn't to say that we don't think they will do well, and our hopes for them will be expressed on the website in our 'FEATURE MEETINGS' reviews, or on the 'CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL' page. There are a couple of exceptions, however don't think it odd, that you will not find ISTABRAQ, MALBOROUGH, FIRST GOLD, KNIFE EDGE, SACKVILLE, EDREDON BLEU amongst this year's offering.
WHY SUCH A LARGE LIST?
The list is really intended to cover (at least) a twelve-month period, rather than a quick return although some of the horses highlighted have done exactly that. I find it pays to start off with a central 'core' of horses to watch out for, rather than having to try and remember how a horse has performed.
We don't expect these to win all of the time, but we hope they are capable of performing solidly during the season. It is worth having a look in the NATIONAL HUNT, or 'R#ECOMMENDED BETS' sections to see when we are most keen on their chances.
The list of horses have been placed into the following sections
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Bumper
Horses |
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Hurdlers
- 3 Year Olds (Juveniles) |
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Hurdlers
- Novices 4 Year Olds+ |
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Hurdlers
- Handicappers |
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Hurdlers
- Championship Class? |
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Steeplechasers
- 3 Year Olds |
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Steeplechasers
- Novices 4 Year Olds+ |
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Steeplechasers
- Handicappers |
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Steeplechasers
- Championship Class? |
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Point-To-Pointers |
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Hunter
Chasers
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We hope you find these an enlightening and enjoyable read …. And of course we hope we find some winners!!.
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