Jumps Stable Tours JESSICA HARRINGTON 2021–2022
Star quality
Ashdale Bob
Six-year-old gelding
Shantou (sire) – Ceol Rua (dam)
Owner: Diarmuid Horgan
Form figures: 11F91-2
Racing Post Rating: 147h; Official Rating: 146h
He’s about three weeks off a run. He surprised me last year because we always knew he wanted very soft ground but then he ran blinders to win at Fairyhouse and finish second in a Grade 1 at Punchestown on nicer ground. He had a tendency to be keen but when he relaxed he was very good. With another summer under his belt, we think we’ll see a more professional horse over fences this term. I think he’ll start off in a 2m4f beginners’ chase and I wouldn’t be in a rush to step him up to three miles. He could develop into a good novice.
Autumn Evening
4g Tamayuz – Martagon Lily
JP O’Flaherty
1533-1
RPR 131h OR 132h
He’s a lovely horse who seems to go on any ground. He won the Lartigue Hurdle and I think the Fishery Lane at Naas on November 6 would be the right place to go with him next. We’ll keep him to his own age group for now and I think two miles is his trip as he’s got plenty of foot. He’s getting a lot stronger too.
Barbados
5g Galileo – Sumora
Zhang Yuesheng
2
RPR 124h
I think he ran into one [My Mate Mozzie] on his hurdles debut at Punchestown. We’ll look at stepping him up in trip – he stays two miles on the Flat so he definitely wants two and a half miles over hurdles. He loves jumping hurdles and that’s the main thing.
Star quality
Crosshill
6g Sholokhov – Rathvawn Belle
Ronnie Bartlett
12F42-8
RPR 143h OR 138h
He’s a lovely big horse and a very nice one to go novice chasing with. He was rated 138 over hurdles but I think he’ll be even better over fences. Some of his novice hurdle form is very good and he was unlucky not to win a valuable handicap at Fairyhouse last season. I think he could do very well over three miles and we’re really looking forward to him. Hopefully he will end up in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham.
Discordantly
7g Salutino – Collinstown Queen
The Oddfellows Partnership
49UF6P-
RPR 150c OR 138c
He’s back and looks amazing. He’s had a wind operation and I couldn’t be happier with him at the moment. He was fourth in the Troytown last year and may start back at Navan before taking in all of those big staying handicap chases, with the Welsh National most likely his main aim. There’s a big one in him, I’m convinced of that. He was just very unlucky last year – he jumped into the back of horses and every sort of thing. For a horse who’s fallen and unseated a good few times, he’s an absolutely brilliant jumper at home and we hope he can produce that on the track this season.
Edison Kent
5g Leading Light – Kentish Town
Slaneyville Syndicate
33-1062
RPR 120h OR 120h
We want to get him qualified for the Pertemps Final, which will be his main aim. He got an infection in his leg and was forced to miss the qualifier at Cheltenham last week which was frustrating. He’s a big, tall horse and is only filling into his frame now.
Exit Poll
7g Elusive Pimpernel – Carolobrian
OMEGA Racing
462113
RPR 148c OR 142c
He’s had a great summer and is having a bit of a break now. He’ll probably come back for something at Leopardstown over Christmas and then the Dublin Racing Festival, with the long-term target being the Grand Annual. His jumping has gone from strength to strength.
Ilmig
4g Galileo – Acoma
Geoffrey Ruddock
37-1747
RPR 113h OR 113h
He’s gone for a break – he hasn’t had one for a long time. He’ll be back around Christmas time and is a good, solid handicapper. I’d hope there are good races to be won with him.
Instant Return
5g Elzaam – Instant Memories
Backbenchers Racing Syndicate
432112/
RPR 122h OR 126h
He was a good juvenile hurdler but picked up an injury and missed last season. I’m very happy with how he’s done since he’s been off and I think he can be pretty competitive this season. He’s one to look forward to.
Jungle Junction
6g Elusive Pimpernel – Consignia
Mrs A Frost
1-P5220
RPR 142c OR 134c
He’s still on his holiday but will probably be back for something at Leopardstown over Christmas or the Dublin Racing Festival. He doesn’t want bottomless ground and, long-term, he could be a horse for the Grand Annual or even the Paddy Power Plate.
Dark horse
Lifetime Ambition
6g Kapgarde – Jeanquiri
Linda Mulcahy & Mary Wolridge
43421-1
RPR 146h OR 125h
I can’t wait to go over fences with him – his schooling has been magic. He won his last two races over hurdles and wants a bit of nice ground, which is why I’m happy to get him out earlier. He was just no good on heavy ground last winter and then came alive in the spring, with his best run when bolting up at Punchestown. He’s declared for Down Royal on Friday and we just hope there isn’t too much rain for him. He’ll be a two-and-a-half mile novice chaser and we hope he’s Graded class.
Mighty Meggsie
5m Arakan – Angel Lopez
Mrs E Queally
498-211
RPR 119h OR 114h
She was awfully keen and buzzy at Punchestown on her latest start but still won nicely. With that in mind, we feel she’ll be better in a better race where they go that bit quicker. As long as the ground doesn’t get too soft, I think there will be a lot of fun to be had. She’s a much stronger mare this year and, being out of a sister to Burn And Turn, it would be great to get black type. We might come back for something at Leopardstown over Christmas and there’s also a mares’ handicap hurdle over 2m2f at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Morosini
6g Martaline – Iris Du Berlais
JP McManus
P46P8-7
RPR 144h OR 134h
He’s just about ready to start back and seems to be in great form. We might try to step him up to three miles again but I’d imagine he’ll largely be kept to two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdles.
Neverushacon
10g Echo Of Light – Lily Beth
Spend Till The End Syndicate
1P0P4-U
RPR 146c OR 125c
He’ll go down the cross-country route, although for a horse who loves the banks course at Punchestown, he’s never quite been the same at Cheltenham. We might get a hunters certificate for him as well and run him in a few point-to-points throughout the season.
Onlyhuman
8g Invincible Spirit – Liscune
Michael Cooke
3/2-
RPR 123h
He got a stupid little injury last year and I never got to run him but he’s back and looks great. He’ll start back over hurdles at Down Royal this weekend. He was a very smart Flat handicapper so hopefully there’s a lot to look forward to with him in this sphere.
Port Stanley
7g Papal Bull – Prairie Moonlight
Linda Mulcahy & Mary Wolridge
202-3F2
RPR 140c OR 132c
He just loves being second. He was beaten by a very good horse [Russian Diamond] the other day at Fairyhouse and, if you look at his form in beginners’ chases, he’s bumped into some nice horses. We entered in the Cork National over 3m4f on Sunday and, while we decided not to run, that sort of trip might help him further down the line. Sean O’Keeffe rode him this morning and was delighted with him, he said he felt sharper. He could be very well handicapped.
Silver Sheen
7g Sulamani – Silver Gypsy
John Turner
4111/0-5
RPR 118c 138h OR 133h
I’m delighted with him. I was very happy with his chasing debut at Galway and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do over fences this season. We were waiting for soft ground and he definitely needed it. You’ll see a much better horse the next day, three miles over fences is what he wants and I think he could have a good campaign in front of him. He may even be one for the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.
Sizing Pottsie
7g Kapgarde – Line Salsa
Ann & Alan Potts Limited
521F5P-
RPR 159c OR 155c
He really is in great form. He has to have soft ground and could mix it between two miles and two and a half over fences this year. He won a nice handicap impressively at Fairyhouse last season before coming unstuck in Graded company but I wouldn’t give up hope that he can mix it at that level this season. We’ll start off in handicaps and feel our way through the season but he’ll be very, very competitive over two miles on testing ground.
The Very Man
7g Jeremy – Mill Meadow
Partnership TBC
031-3U4
RPR 134c 144h OR 133c 135h
We’re going to campaign him over hurdles and fences and the hope would be to get to Cheltenham in March. He’s well handicapped if he can return to his best form and we think he’s a lovely horse. We’ve liked everything he’s done at home so far, although we’re still learning about him. Long term, the Pertemps could be an option.
Wingin A Prayer
6g Winged Love – Toubliss
Rainbow Gems Syndicate
35109-3
RPR 123c 136h OR 131h
He was a bit frustrating last season but we think the best is yet to come. He needs soft ground and two and a half miles. He’s a nice handicapper in the making.
For the future…
Sizing Mauritius is a nice Martaline four-year-old out of Beau Bridget and I’m looking forward to starting him off in a bumper. I have a Mount Nelson three-year-old who is a half-brother to Macs Joy and he also goes well. There’s a Walk In The Park three-year-old filly out of Jelan, who is a full-sister to Jezki, and this is her first foal. She also goes well. We have a half-brother to Sizing Mauritius by Walk In The Park and he’s doing everything right.
Two for the Tracker
Silver Sheen should do well over fences and I can see him improving throughout the season, especially when he steps up in trip. I’d also be hopeful that it could pay to follow Ilmig in handicaps.
Expert view
Ashdale Bob, Crosshill and Lifetime Ambition stood out among the novice hurdlers in Jessica Harrington’s select jumps squad last term and it will be fascinating to see how far they can fly over fences in 2021-22.
It promises to be a deep pool of novice chasers in Ireland this season, but Crosshill in particular may well have the right tools to find quite a bit of improvement for the switch to fences.
He pulled 11 lengths clear of Albert Bartlett hero Vanillier when scoring on his hurdles bow at Punchestown and was unfortunate to be denied in a valuable 3m novice handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse in April.
Ashdale Bob showed his toughness last season while still shaping as though more time to develop would do him the world of good, while Lifetime Ambition was frustrating to follow until bursting into life in the spring. Connections have seemingly always felt the best of the point-to-point winner would be seen over fences.
Given Harrington’s fine record in the Grand Annual, including two wins with Space Trucker and Rock The World, it’s interesting that Jungle Junction and Exit Poll could follow a similar path next spring.
Silver Sheen wasn’t unfancied for the 2020 Pertemps Final before being ruled out with a setback. There could be plenty of fun to be had with him if getting a clean run this season.
Edison Kent doesn’t appear the finished article yet and there’s every chance he can prove a fair deal better than his current mark of 120 in time, while Mighty Meggsie is another who is attractively rated off 114.