Three rising stars of the National Hunt world

The 2018/19 National Hunt season is likely to once again be dominated by Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, the only two men to have won the trainers’ championship since Martin Pipe did so for the final time in 2004/05. As it stands, though, Dan Skelton is the man to catch having enjoyed a good summer period, with 95 winners and over £750,000 in prize money to his name at the time of writing. Skelton, who was assistant trainer to Paul Nicholls for nine years, has made giant strides since taking out a full training licence in 2013 and, given the depth of firepower he has developed, he rates a big player in the trainers’ championship this season. However, aside from the big guns in the division, there are several up-and-coming trainers who could have fruitful campaigns themselves, some of which have some exciting horses to go to war with.

Tom Lacey

Tom Lacey served his apprenticeship breaking in young horses under the tutelage of Captain Charles Radclyffe, who for 25 years broke in horses for the Queen Mother and played a pivotal, if largely unseen, role in the careers of Grand National, Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup winners. Lacey went on to ride successfully in point-to-points, recording 27 winners in total, before going on to be head lad for Flat trainer Brian Meehan for several years.

‘There are too many trainers struggling with fifteen bad horses. No-one in their right minds would do it.’ Lacey plainly had no ambitions to take out a full training licence even after saddling a winner with his very first runner under Rules. But somewhere along the line since speaking after Trouble Digger’s win in that maiden hunters’ chase at Lingfield early in 2013, the successful point-to-point handler must have had a rethink because, now a licenced trainer, far from struggling with bad horses, he is starting to make a name for himself.

Lacey has increased his total of winners each season since taking out a licence in 2013/14, recording 39 winners last term and operating at a 25% strike rate. Furthermore, backing all of his runners blind would have yielded a profit of more than £80 to a £1 stake. 

His stable star is the exciting staying chaser Thomas Patrick, who along with Jester Jet, recorded wins at the Grand National meeting in April, both in Grade 3 handicaps. Thomas Patrick made giant strides when switched to fences last season, winning three of his four starts in that sphere, and he will likely develop into a National horse himself in time. Whether that will be this season or not remains to be seen, still only a six-year-old after all, and he could reportedly have the Ladbroke Trophy at Newbury as an early-season target.

Thomas Patrick powers to the Betway Handicap Chase at @AintreeRaces

Watch all the action LIVE on @ITV pic.twitter.com/i2SceghbuX

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 14, 2018

An exciting prospect at the other end of the spectrum for Lacey in Kateson, who proved himself useful in bumpers last season, culminating with a good second in the Grade 2 bumper at the Grand National meeting. He should make his mark in novice hurdles this term, especially once having his stamina stretched – his dam was a useful 2½m-3¼m hurdle/chase winner – and he could be seen as early as this Tuesday, where he holds an entry in a maiden hurdle at Chepstow.

Lacey has made a bright start to this campaign with already 13 winners on the board, operating at a 24% strike rate, and he is well on course for another record-breaking season.

Christian Williams

Christian Williams will be familiar to most National Hunt enthusiasts through his exploits as a jockey, having ridden 339 winners in a career which was curtailed by injury. The majority of those winners came for Paul Nicholls, with whom Williams was successful on horses such as Gold Cup winner Denman and Grand National winner Neptune Collonges. A highlight of his career as a jockey came when finishing second in the 2005 National on the Nicholls-trained Royal Auclair.

Williams took over the Dai Walters-owned stables ‘The Hollies’ from Paul Morgan in April 2017, having been responsible for the pre-training and serving as assistant to Morgan prior to taking over. He made a bright start, before announcing earlier this year that he would be moving on from Walters’ operation to set up his own yard situated in Ogmore-by-Sea, three miles south of Bridgend. As a result, he lost the exciting Walters-owned Volcano, who won his bumper impressively on debut for Williams in October last year, but the yard’s flag bearer Limited Reserve, made the move with him.

Assisted by his brother Nicky – who himself rode over 100 winners in points – Williams has already had a record number of runners in 2017/18, and is almost certain to break his previous win record of eight, having saddled five winners already this campaign. The aforementioned Limited Reserve is the stable star, having improved to win back-to-back handicaps at Haydock on his final two starts last season, both on heavy ground. He will likely be campaigned with some of the better handicaps in mind this season, and should have even more to offer, particularly when the ground is testing.

Court Frontier is one of the older horses in the yard, but he is back down to a winning mark having been out of sorts, including when well held on his recent return at Chepstow. Younger than the majority of rivals he will meet in veteran chase events, he should be up to winning a race of that nature when back on-song.

Williams seems to have settled into his new base nicely and clearly has a bigger string to go to war with this season given the number of runners he has had so far; he has the right sort of pedigree to make it as a trainer and is expected to have a fruitful campaign from his new base.

Alastair Ralph  

Alastair Ralph has been involved in horse racing for most of his life, born into a family steeped in the traditions of horse racing and, as such, he went to work for Michael Scudamore straight out of school. Not long after he moved to Ditcheat to work for Paul Nicholls, before going on to ride out for Dr Richard Newland. Ralph went on to spend five seasons as assistant to Henry Daly, while also running his own yard of point-to-point runners, which went from strength to strength, before getting his full training licence in 2015.

Ralph enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2017/18, recording a total of 14 wins and operating at a 24% strike rate, which is pretty impressive given the small number of horses he had to work with. The best horse in the yard is Cut The Corner, who managed to win a couple of handicaps at Uttoxeter last term. He has been in the winners’ enclosure twice already this season, too, showing useful form to win at Newton Abbot and Stratford during the summer. Cut The Corner wasn’t at his best when last seen earlier this month, but he is no doubt up to winning more races down the line.

Seymour Star is one of Ralph’s better hurdlers, having recorded a hat-trick last season. Only one of those wins came in a handicap, though, and Seymour Star has since found life harder from a revised mark. Nevertheless, he does still have the option of novice chasing, having shaped as though badly in need of the experience on debut in that sphere back in February.

Ralph is building the yard in good style, though, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if new stars come to the fore this season. Horses such as Broughtons Admiral and Billingsley – who has recently been purchased by Dai Walters – are expected to progress further this term, particularly the latter. He won a couple of heavy-ground novice hurdles at the end of last season, but is set to go novice chasing this time round and could develop into a useful type, especially when getting his favoured testing conditions.

All in all it is hard not to be impressed by the progress in which Ralph has made in a short space of time, and his meticulous style of training can only stand him in good stead.