Horses To Follow - 20 jumpers to track in 2024/25 (Part 2)

Nigel Twiston-Davies has made a flying start to the new National Hunt season and MATATA could be the flagship horse for this in-form operation.

Matata jumped beatifully when romping to victory on his chasing debut at Ffos Lass last October. Twiston-Davies' six-year-old was then pipped to the post by classy rivals on his next two starts, losing out to Libberty Hunter in a novices handicap at Cheltenham, before JPR One lowered his colours in the Lightning Novices' Chase at Lingfield.

Two lengthy defeats in Festival Grade Ones haven't dampened my belief that Matata could be a high-quality two-mile chaser this term. Twiston-Davies' six-year-old jumps well and possesses bags of speed. Matata can be a little headstrong, which has been his downfall on a couple of occasions, but I still expect him to progress beyond his current mark of 147 when he enters open company. 

Eyebrows were raised when 20/1 outsider MINELLA MISSILE travelled all over a hot-favourite of Paul Nicholls' and strode clear to make a winning hurdles debut at Chepstow last October. That shock turned into astonishment when Evan Williams' youngster saw off odds-on favourite Captain Teague to land the Hyde Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham the following month, again returning a lengthy SP.

Despite entries against his elders in the Relkeel and the Grade Ones for novices at Aintree, Williams couldn't get this exciting gelding back on the track last term. Minella Missile did win in the point-to-point field before joining Williams, so he could go novice chasing when fit and ready. However, his hurdles mark of 138 looks lenient and Williams may be tempted to aim his star at a big early-season handicap, before maybe exploring the Stayers' Hurdle route.

I included Indeevar Bleu in the first part of my 20 To Follow, despite Olly Murphy's youngster only finishing fourth on his sole start of last season. The winner of that novice hurdle at Ayr was PRIMOZ, who made all under Stephen Mulqueen to beat I Love My Baie and Florida Dreams by an easy five lengths.

Lucinda Russell's youngster was then well beaten in the Newton Novices' Hurdle at Haydock and in another novice at Kelso. Primoz bounced back in the spring with an impressive handicap triumph at Ayr, where Derek Fox managed to settle his mount down for the first time in his career. 

This son of Westerner has got chaser written all over him and Primoz could make his chasing debut at Ffos Las this coming Sunday. After the retirement of Corach Rambler and Giovinco's tragic demise, Lucinda Russell will be hoping to see Primoz fill a portion of that void when he attacks the larger obstacles.

A beautiful chestnut gelding with a striking blonde mane, SECRET SQUIRREL wouldn't look out of place on the stage. Hughie Morrison's five-year-old proved he had more than enough substance to go with the style during his novice season, winning well at Kempton and Taunton, while also losing out narrowly to classy sorts like Jeriko Du Reponet and Fire Flyer.

David Bass' mount was far too keen for much of the Novices' Championship Final at Sandown, but still managed to finish fifth as Helnwein - who Secret Squirrel had thrashed at Taunton two weeks previous - claimed victory. Morrison decided against a flat campaign for his star, who was two-from-two in bumpers. He clearly feels that there's much more to come from Secret Squirrel over obstacles.

One of last seasons hard-luck was THEATRE MAN, who banged his head against the crossbar throughout his first campaign over fences. Richard Bandey's eight-year-old bumped into classy performers on his first couple of starts at Newbury, before staying on well to finish second to Ginny's Destiny over a shorter trip on Trials Day.

Theatre Man was then hammered into 10/3 favouritism ahead of the Paddy Power Plate at the Cheltenham Festival, but Harry Cobden's mount took a crashing fall at just the third obstacle. Bandey then dropped Theatre Man down to hurdles at Aintree, where he was badly outpaced after an early mistake and never got into the contest.

I'm hoping the move back to hurdling was merely to preserve Theatre Man's novice status over fences for this season, and not because that fall at the Festival dented his confidence. If fully recovered, I'd be amazed if Bandey wasn't able to find several winning opportunities for Theatre Man over fences, and three miles seems to be his optimum distance. 

Fergal O'Brien saddled the 1-2 in the Grade Two bumper at Aintree's Grand National Festival, where Horaces Pearl ran down stablemate TRIPOLI FLYER. 

Paddy Brennan must have been having flashbacks of his impressive win aboard Dysart Enos in the corresponding Mares' Flat Race at Aintree the previous year, as he cantered to the front aboard Tripoli Flyer. There was to be no Hollywood ending to Brennan's career, though, as his flagging mount was passed by the strong-staying Horaces Pearl in the dying strides.

Whereas Horaces Pearl would have no trouble seeing out middle distances, Tripoli Flyer's strongest attribute is the speed at which he can travel, so I doubt O'Brien will be quick to up him beyond the minimum trip over hurdles. He's a very exciting prospect.

The first of two Irish horses to make my Horses To Follow list is SWITCH FROM DIESEL. Seamus Fahey's mare gained plenty of experience in bumpers last term, placing behind and eventually beating talented mares in three early season assignments, before placing behind Jalon D'Oudairies and Fleur Au Fusil at Leopardstown during the winter Festivals.

Switch From Diesel made her Grade One debut at the Punchestown Festival and gave her supporters a thrill when she hit the front turning for home, before eventually fading back to seventh. She's by Yeats and her dam was a 125-rated novice hurdler, so I expect Switch From Diesel to make her presence felt in Ireland's Mares' Novice Hurdle division. 

James Owen is an excellent dual-purpose trainer on the rise and I expect his partnership with the Gredleys to be potent again this term. USUARIO AMIGO will make his hurdling debut for Owen at Chepstow this weekend and I expect he'll rack up plenty of victories against his fellow juveniles this season.

Despite failing to win in any of his first six races on the flat, Usuario Amigo managed to maintain a mark in the high-80s, running classy sorts like Run Boy Run and Kikkuli close. Owen's gelding was last seen running out a ready winner of a modest maiden at Brighton and I was pleased to see him confirmed for this weekend's assignment at Chepstow, as there's plenty in Usuario Amigo's pedigree to suggest that he could be a precocious three-year-old.

Barry Connell was incredibly bullish when speaking about Marine Nationale and Good Land in the early stages of their careers, and both went on to land Grade Ones as novice hurdlers. Connell holds WILLIAM MUNNY in that same regard, so current odds of 25/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle looks extremely tempting.

Having opened his account on horrible ground at Navan in January, William Munny bolted up to win a competitive winner's bumper at Naas at the end of February. Finian Maguire was dead-set on tracking Jasmin De Vaux at Punchestown, but found himself in a pickle when it became clear that the Champion Bumper winner wasn't travelling at the rear and William Munny had to work extremely hard just to find a way into the places.

Connell has already mentioned the Supreme as William Munny's objective for the season. With last year's Champion Bumper form looking shakey, Connell's budding stable star is a leading contender.

A low-profile end to my list, some might say, but I liked what I saw from YEALAND last season. Jennie Candlish's gelding won twice in handicap company at Newcastle and Haydock, before rounding off his campaign with a decent third behind a classy winner of Donald McCain's at Bangor.

A strong traveller, Yealand jumped hurdles very fluently for a horse of his size. Two of his half-brothers reached marks in the high 130s when eventually pointed at a fence and Shirocco is known for producing high-quality staying chasers. Yealand's current mark of 112 could look extremely lenient if he lives up to his potential as a novice chaser.