Hurdler – Jasmin de Vaux

As it stands, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle has a much more open look to it than previous years, with no standout contender from either of the Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott yards having emerged.

And it’s a long way down the betting to find a feasible Supreme challenge from Britain, with the two most impressive domestic novices The New Lion and Potters Charm both more likely to take in one of the longer novice events.

It would be no surprise to see one of the long-absent French recruits Donwave, Kiss Will, or Funiculi Funicula catapult themselves towards the head of the ante-post markets over the next few weeks, but I think there could be a potential superstar already there.

Champion Bumper winner Jasmin de Vaux is prominent in several antepost markets – and if the gelding runs in the Lawlor’s of Naas at the weekend then that may help firm up any target – but he looks to be underestimated at present, perhaps due to a combination of his lack of physical scope and his novicey jumping on his hurdling debut at Navan.

However, his hurdling wasn’t disastrous, and the way he quickened clear after the last from two subsequent winners suggests to me that he has a lot more to offer.

Champion Bumper winners don’t generally run in the Supreme the next year – indeed only two of the last 10 have – but the last to win both races was the Willie Mullins-trained Champagne Fever (2012/13) and if anyone knows how to campaign a Supreme winner it’s Mullins.

Regardless of the races he runs in, the diminutive Jasmin de Vaux can show that what counts is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

Chaser – Majborough

Banbridge was tempting, but he isn’t exactly under the radar having just won at Kempton and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him suffer a defeat or two at more testing venues before enjoying further success in the 2025 King George, but that’s a fair old wait now!

Instead, the nod goes to Majborough who found himself usurped at the head of the Arkle betting thanks to the brilliance of Sir Gino at Kempton over Christmas, but has done little to suggest that he is anything other than a potential superstar himself.

Recruited from France in late-2023 after a hurdling win at Auteuil (in which recent hurdling winner Kaid d’Authie was fifth), Willie Mullins threw Majborough straight into Grade 1 company in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle where he was a fine third to stablemate Kargese.

Just six weeks later he was storming up the hill to turn the tables on his stablemate, after which his trainer said: “When Majborough came into the yard and they told me this is our Triumph Hurdle horse this year, I’m looking at him and thought, he’s a Gold Cup horse, a three-mile chaser.

“Physically, that’s what he looked like. That’ll be a few years down the road, we’ll let him go novice chasing first.”

Cue an emphatic chasing debut at Fairyhouse after a summer break, making all and seeing off classy stablemates Tullyhill and Asian Master by over six lengths.

Clearly his strong-staying style – and previous trainer quotes – brings the Brown Advisory over three miles into the equation, but his stablemate Ballyburn looks more suitable for that assignment and it would be no surprise, despite racing on the Old Course in the Arkle rather than the more testing New Course, to see Majborough out-stay the speedier Sir Gino up the Cheltenham hill in a few months’ time.

Trainer – James Owen

Whilst Olly Murphy and Ben Pauling were strongly considered, the potential star trainer over the next few months could well be James Owen.

Owen may only be 11th on the current trainers’ championship standings – with 44 wins and 98 places from 201 runs – but he’s already had a major impact this season thanks to graded-race wins with Burdett Road and East India Dock, as well as listed victories for Opec and Liam Swagger.

The last-named trio are all juveniles, which is clearly an area that Owen has targeted thanks to the high standard of Flat recruit within his Gredley Family-owned yard, but their distinguishable yellow silks were also carried to Greatwood Hurdle glory by Burdett Road.

While his proximity to Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth has led some to question the merit of the Christmas Hurdle form, it’s more likely that the classy Burdett Road actually took another step forward.

Having started with pre-training racehorses, before moving into Point-To-Point and Arabian horses, Owen trained his first winner under rules in May 2023 and while his early ambitions were ‘just to have fun – no numbers’, it’s clear that the Newmarket-based handler has the talent – and the horses – to continue to make a big impact over the next few months.

Indeed, Burdett Road is a best-priced 33/1 for the Champion Hurdle, East India Dock is the 6/1 joint-favourite for the Triumph Hurdle, while his three fellow juveniles are lively outsiders at 66s.

Looking further ahead to the Flat, Owen’s Royal Lodge winner Wimbledon Hawkeye – who was a gallant third in the Futurity Trophy when last seen – has an early-closing entry for the Irish Derby in June.

All of this is a good indication that Owen is a trainer to follow in 2025.

Jockey – Lewis Saunders

In terms of winners, there are many above Lewis Saunders in the current conditional jockeys’ standings – nine to be precise – but in terms of strike-rate the young jockey is operating at a different level.

His eight winners this season from 23 rides have come at a strike-rate of 35% which, whilst obviously pleasing to the Olly Murphy yard that supports him (and the now-claiming professional Dylan Johnston), has also been a friend to punters as it has resulted in a level stakes profit of +30.48.

Able to do 9st 6lb, Saunders has been seen to best effect with waiting rides on the newly-prolific Bread And Butter, including one win at Huntingdon following a defeat on warm favourite Berkenshtaaap a few days earlier.

“He got a right rollicking at Southwell but that’s learning for you. I worked for Gordon Elliott and Alan King and if you made mistakes you got a rollicking.

“But he’s a good young lad, and he bounced back from it and gave the horse a really good ride today. In fairness to him he’s a very talented young lad, who’s learning the whole time. He hasn’t got a lot of experience.”

Coolness despite a lack of experience could be crucial when it comes to the big spring festivals, with Murphy not shy of having a crack at major handicaps both at home and in Ireland.

Indeed, with his former boss Gordon Elliott having captured the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle on three occasions, it would be no surprise to see Murphy – himself a rising force in UK jumps racing – emulate his former boss come March.

And that could mean the highest profile win yet for Saunders.

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