Novice Chasers – ‘Plain sailing for Marine’
Marine Nationale Age: 6 Sex: Gelding Trainer/Owner: Barry Connell
There’s only one horse that I had in mind when coming on to start this section, and that’s Marine Nationale.
For me, this horse has a certain swagger about him which isn’t anything flashy, he just goes about the job like a proper professional and gets the job done.
The way he jumped and travelled in the Supreme at the Cheltenham Festival was superb, simply breezing into the contest off the final bend, and drawing alongside the 2022 Cheltenham Festival Bumper winner Facile Vega like he wasn’t even there.
PLAIN SAILING: Marine Nationale cruises clear up the Cheltenham hill. Credit: ITV Racing
He only started out a year previous before this success as well, taking a Punchestown bumper in May 2022, beating Demandrivingdouvan.
After opening his hurdling account back at that venue in October, he was soon tasting Grade 1 glory at Fairyhouse in December, leading on the line to beat Irish Point by a neck, who subsequently went on to land the Grade 1 Mersey Hurdle at Aintree in April.
How he travels over 2m is impressive, and he seems like he’s a horse with a few more gears, so stepping him up in trip could well be the focus I would think.
Despite that though he’s still only six so there’s no real rush to crack on with that, so he has plenty of options and plenty of time, which makes him very dangerous indeed when he steps over a fence.
‘Straight Inthepocket’
Inthepocket Age: 6 Sex: Gelding Trainer: Henry de Bromhead Owner: JP McManus
I’m keeping with that form from the Supreme here, because this horse was a prime example of the saying, ‘anything he does over a hurdle is a bonus’.
A real big horse who will quite easily jump a fence I feel, he comfortably won his first start over hurdles back in October 2022 at Wexford by 6 lengths, before stepping up in trip to 2m 4f in a Grade 2 at Naas to just hold on by a neck to beat Three Card Brag.
It suggested that day that he maybe wasn’t quite ready yet for such a trip, and that he was still doing his best work over 2 mile, and despite finishing a distant second in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in February to Il Etait Temps, he was still keeping his consistency all the time.
His run in the Supreme was still a real positive, finishing fourth, six lengths behind Marine Nationale, and finished the season on a high when he took the Grade 1 at Aintree, staying on well to the line which did then start to hint that when he does start over a fence, that step up in trip which he didn’t seem ready for earlier on in the season could well be on the cards.
AINTREE SUCCESS: Inthepocket digs deep to win at Aintree. Credit: Racing TV YouTube
Of course there’s the fact that he could bump back into Marine Nationale, but I’m hoping this season they might just miss each other, one trainer hopefully wanting to dive straight in with a step up in trip while the other just holds on a bit longer, hopefully anyways.
Either way this horse should really improve a great deal once sent chasing, and there’s no reason why he can’t put himself at the front of that top novice chasing division this season.
‘Ice in his veins’
Iceo Age: 5 : Sex: Gelding Trainer: Paul Nicholls Owner: Chris Giles
There’s going to be two horses rolled into one for this pick, but I’ll focus on the main one first of all, mainly because I’ve already seen him jump a fence this season.
Iceo managed to land the Imperial Cup at Sandown last season off a handicap mark of 132, and on a whole he has been largely impressive over hurdles.
IMPERIAL VICTORY: Iceo takes the Imperial Cup at Sandown. Credit: Racing TV YouTube
He won on debut in December 2021 around Kempton as a three-year-old, pulling clear to win by 17 lengths, before finishing fourth in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in January, well supported in the market but racing too keenly to stand a chance, finishing 18 lengths behind the winner and this year’s Cesarewitch second Pied Piper.
A switch to handicaps at the start of 2023 around Sandown in a class two off a mark of 131 brought out some improvement, running on to end up second, three lengths behind the 124 rated Hardy Du Seuil.
The handicapper clearly felt they still had him on the right enough mark and only nudged him up a pound for that good run, and he took full advantage to land the Imperial Cup by 3 ¾ lengths, settling slightly better than he had been doing and seeing his race out.
Despite not following up next time, he opened his chasing account in style, cruising clear over two mile to win by 12 lengths.
What I found impressive that day was his ability to get himself out of trouble, which I felt for a five-year-old who was having his first start over larger obstacles was worth noting.
Going back to racing keenly didn’t make it easy for Harry Cobden to keep a hold on him at times, and that put him in tight to a couple or without a stride, but he fiddled his way out of any danger like a real pro, and the fact he was also giving 17lbs to the horse in second who’s no mug himself in Mount Tempest, rated 121 and should be winning soon enough, made him throw a real marker down.
The other horse I wanted to mention in this bit briefly was his stablemate Hermes Allen. This six-year-old is still very lightly raced, only had five starts under rules, and he really took off to land three wins on the spin, winning at Stratford on debut before bagging a Grade 2 at Cheltenham on route to his Grade 1 Challow Hurdle success in the mud around Newbury.
Back at Cheltenham in March though he was very underwhelming in the Ballymore, seemingly looking as though the Challow had evidently left a mark on him for his win that day, and finishing third in the Mersey Hurdle Grade 1 at Aintree was a more positive showing behind the winner Irish Point and the second horse Kateira.
Over fences at two-and-a-half mile he could be a different beast altogether, and I’m very excited for when he eventually makes his chasing debut this season.
‘Ready to Roll’
Snake Roll Age: 6 Sex: Gelding Trainer: Lucinda Russell Owner: The Ornello Way
Time to switch it up a bit now, I’m going to dive into the staying chasers division with this one, because he almost looks like another Corach Rambler in the making, I’ll come onto him a little later on.
The way he won on hurdles debut at Kelso over two miles was eye-catching, quickening clear to win by 15 lengths, and he went in again two runs later at Newcastle when stepped up in trip to 2m 4f.
He didn’t give his true running in the Ballymore Leamington Grade 2 Hurdle around Warwick, finishing fifth out of seven in a race eventually won by another exciting chaser this season in Grey Dawning for the Skeltons, but ran much more like it in a Grade 2 back around Kelso, finishing third behind the 2023 Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Nemean Lion, (won off 135).
His handicap debut up at Perth over 2m 4f wasn’t a bad one, despite the fact he was the beaten 4/7 favourite.
Running off 126, he got collared on the line by the old boy Caius Marcius, a 17-time winner in his career, and I think this season should be really interesting for him because he could really take off over fences like his stable’s star. Makes his chasing debut at Carlisle.
‘The Fire is burning’
Chasing Fire Age: 6 Sex: Gelding Trainer: Olly Murphy Owner: Mrs Diana Whateley
The final pick in my novice chasers division is this one from the ever improving Olly Murphy yard, and I really thought this horse had an excellent season last campaign.
His bumper win at Wetherby, where he won readily, beating a horse of John Quinn’s called Imperial Merlin who was last seen winning off a handicap mark of 121, was a performance that set a standard for this horse, one that he continued to win his next three runs over hurdles, including a class three at Sandown.
ON FIRE: Olly Murphy's charge lands the class three at Sandown. Credit: Racing TV YouTube
He got found out in the Supreme, before finishing the season third in a class two at Cheltenham, with all eyes turning towards a 2023/24 jumps campaign.
Despite being the outsider of the three for his chasing debut at Uttoxeter in early October, he managed to stay on well to land the spoils, beating Pembroke by one length, a horse that was rated 136 over hurdles and is also expected to have a really good season over the larger obstacles.
As with all of these novices they aren’t always going to be perfect first time out, so if he improves as naturally as he should do then he could be a real contender in the two mile/ two-and-a-half mile novice chaser division.