The esteemed trainer Gavin Cromwell outlines his strategy for the 2024/25 National Hunt season, detailing plans for his top horses across various categories. Among the highlights are Flooring Porter's switch back to hurdles with potential Grand National ambitions, Inothewayurthinkin's refinement for Grade 1 chases, and Limerick Lace aiming for the Cheltenham Festival. New prospects are also on the rise in novice hurdles and chasers, with promising entries like Fenway Park and Bioluminescence. Cromwell's strategic outlook mixes immediate race goals with long-term potential.
Cromwell ran through all of his stars for the 2024/25 season
Get updates on Flooring Porter, Inothewayurthinkin, Vanillier and many more
All quotes taken from AtTheRaces
Gavin Cromwell after winning the Champion Hurdle. (Getty)
Gavin Cromwell Stable Tour 24/25
🌟 Stable Stars 🌟
➡️ Novice Hurdles
➡️ Older Hurdlers
➡️ Novice Chasers
➡️ Older Chasers
➡️ Bumper Horses
Ahead of the new National Hunt season, top Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell talks through his team for 2024/25 with AtTheRaces.
Here's the full Gavin Cromwell stable tour. All quotes taken from AtTheRaces.
Gavin Cromwell Stable Tour 2024/25
🌟 Stable Stars 🌟
Flooring Porter
It was brilliant to see him do what he did in the Kerry National. It was his first time to show a level of form over fences that was a bit more like his hurdle form and he was impressive. We have a plan for him. He’s going to go back over hurdles and is likely to run next in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan. After that, we’ll look at the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. He will go back over fences, but we’ll pick our spot in due course. We have the Grand National in our minds for him in the longer term.
Inothewayurthinkin
We are considering starting him back in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. As he broke his maiden over fences quite late last season, he is still a novice in Ireland up to that meeting, so we might try and make the best of that, even though the trip would be a little tight for him. He’s rated 157 over fences, so there’s no hiding place. I’d say his jumping will need to get a bit slicker if he is to be a proper Grade 1 chaser. He’s well able to jump, he just needs to sharpen up and get more consistent.
Limerick Lace
There’s a chance she could start off in the mares’ chase at Clonmel in a few weeks if the ground was soft enough there. Whichever path she goes, all roads will lead back to the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Looking further ahead, I thought she ran well in the Grand National last season, and I wouldn’t be against trying her in it again. She was just a bit ring rusty early and then got badly hampered, which ended her winning chance, but she wasn’t beaten all that far considering that.
Vanillier
We’re likely to start him back in a staying handicap chase at Cheltenham the weekend after next. We’ve spent two seasons minding him for the Grand National. He ran great in it the first year, but it just didn’t happen for him last season. We won’t be targeting it to the same extent this season and he can hopefully win a big pot along the way.
Flooring Porter made a winning chase debut at Cheltenham on Saturday. (Getty)
➡️ Novice Hurdles
Fenway Park
He won a maiden hurdle in the first few weeks of the season in May, so will be a novice for the rest of the season. He’s a chaser in the making, but we’ll stick to hurdles with him for now. He’s done particularly well over the summer, and I’d like to think he will continue to improve. He’ll be ready to run soon.
Hello Neighbour
We’ve been absolutely delighted with the start he’s made on the Flat. It’s fair going to be rated 97 after two starts, and I was particularly impressed with what he did at Roscommon the other day. We’re going to give him an easy few weeks and the aim will be to start him over hurdles at Christmas time. He has plenty of schooling done and is a real athlete, so he’s one you’d have to be excited about.
I Am Lorenzo
He has an entry at Limerick this weekend, though he’ll want plenty of rain for him to run there. Whatever he does over hurdles will be a bonus as he’s a big chaser in the making. He has done particularly well in physical terms, and I think there is plenty of improvement in him.
Millforce
It’s a quick enough turnaround, but I think he’ll go to Cheltenham the weekend after next for a three-mile novice hurdle. I thought he was a little unlucky not to win at Cork the other day. He wasn’t doing a whole pile in front and Conor dropped his stick, which didn’t help.
Mywayofthinkin
We’ll get him back going in some sort of novice hurdle in the near future. He looks a grand horse that should progress well. He’ll start off at around two miles, and I could see him stepping up in trip later in the season.
Sixandahalf
We’ve sent her on a break with a view to starting her over hurdles at Christmas or maybe a little later than that. It’s been unbelievable to watch how she has progressed on the Flat in the last few months considering she was only being broken in this time last year and debuted as recently as March. The level of form she has shown on the Flat makes her an exciting hurdling prospect and you’d have to be dreaming of the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle with her. The one knock on her is that she isn’t overly big, but she’s all heart and has a big engine, so hopefully that won’t hold her back.
Will The Wise
He’ll start off in a two-mile maiden hurdle as soon as we get a good ease in the ground. He won his bumper well and looks a nice prospect.
➡️ Older Hurdlers
Bottler'secret
The plan for him is to start off at Cheltenham next week in a four-year-old only hurdle. It can often be difficult for those good juvenile hurdlers to make the transition into open company, but he came a long way in a short space of time last season and can hopefully keep improving. He’s a laid-back type of horse and I could see him stepping up in trip later in the season.
Je T'air Porte
She has gone on a break and will be back in the spring. She is very versatile and has all sorts of options, so we’ll be looking forward to getting her back on track.
➡️ Novice Chasers
Backtonormal
He made a great start for us last season in the EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final, and it was a great pot to win with him. The plan is to go novice chasing with him and he has the ability to make up into a smart handicap chaser.
Bioluminescence
She will go novice chasing this season. She’s a lovely big mare that was always going to be a chaser and I’d like to think that the best is still to come from her. She ran well below form in her final start last season, but I just think that was no more than a long season catching up with her a little bit. She’s one to look forward to.
Path D'oroux
He has accumulated a lot of experience at a high level over fences, but is still a maiden over them, so you’d hope he can use that experience and win a few good races in novice chase company this season. He’s likely to run in the two-mile novice chase at Cheltenham the weekend after next.
Vanillier winning at Cheltenham. (Getty)
➡️ Older Chasers
Brides Hill
She had a little setback and it’s going to delay her return this season. I’d say we won’t see her until the New Year. The hope is that she’ll be back in top form in time for the spring festivals. She was declared for the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, but the ground went too soft for her, so we took her out. We’d love to get her to that race this season if we can as it would suit her very well. She’ll never want the ground to be too soft.
Hartur D'arc
I was a bit disappointed with him in the Irish Grand National, but he’d been very good in the Leinster National prior to that. He has come back in from his break looking great and can hopefully improve again. He’s one for staying handicap chases and might start back in the Troytown Handicap Chase.
My Mate Mozzie
We’ve left him off for a little break and will be aiming at a spring campaign with him. He can do any job, but the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival is a race that is on our minds with him.
Perceval Legallois
I’d say he’ll go to the Munster National at Limerick. He has shown he’s capable of being very competitive in races like that and the obvious goal this season to win one of them with him.
Stumptown
He’s going to go down the cross-country chase route and we’re aiming him at that race at the November meeting at Cheltenham. He showed a good aptitude for the banks course at Punchestown at the Festival there and will hopefully enjoy the course at Cheltenham even more.
Velvet Elvis
He was a little bit slower to start off than the rest and he might not be seen on the track until Christmas. He’s another one for all those valuable staying handicap chases. He could be a Grand National horse, but he is ground dependent and wants proper soft ground.
Yeah Man
We’ll run him in the Munster National at Limerick on Sunday. He’s another one for all those big staying handicap chases and can hopefully win one. He is ground versatile and seems to have done well over the summer, so it should be a good season ahead for him.
➡️ Bumper Horses
Kabylia
She’s a nice filly that we’ll start off in a mares’ bumper. I think we’ll stay in bumpers with her for this season and we like what we’ve seen from her so far.
The Dancing Tree
We are aiming him at a bumper at Cheltenham the weekend after next. I’d say we’ll go novice hurdling with him after that. We’ll start him over two miles and feel our way with him from there.
