One Jump Ahead: Six to follow

The jumps season is soon to move up a gear and One Jump Ahead author Mark Howard gives us half a dozen horses to watch out for.

Harry Fry trained his first Cheltenham Festival winner last March when Unowhatimeanharry captured the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The eight year old has subsequently been bought by J.P.McManus and the same combination are also responsible for the potentially well handicapped BEHIND TIME.

Appropriately named, the Stowaway gelding was soundly beaten on his first two starts at Newbury and Taunton but the penny seemingly dropped on his third run at Exeter. Contesting a two and a quarter mile novice hurdle in February, he was only denied by a short neck behind the 139-rated and Graded-placed Captain Chaos. Now eligible for novice handicap hurdles, he doesn’t look overburdened off a mark of 115, especially when stepped up in trip. He couldn’t be in better hands either.

While he didn’t make it to Cheltenham in March, Invitation Only did readers of this same piece 12 months ago a favour or two in the spring and he looks set to develop into a top-class staying novice hurdler this winter. From the same stable, it is hoped CARTER McKAY will emerge as a leading contender for the Festival bumper next spring, as he bids to provide Willie Mullins with a record-breaking ninth win in the race. A five-year-old gelding by Martaline, he was a 10 lengths winner of his second Irish point in April when handled by Nick Stokes. Bought by Pearl Bloodstock four days later at the Aintree Sale for a cool £160,000, his Rules debut …

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