Ratings Update: Champ leads red-hot crop of novice chasers

One feature of the many stable tours heading into the National Hunt season was just how many talented hurdlers were set to embark on chasing careers. On paper it had all the makings of a fascinating division, and, while this game has a habit of bursting bubbles, the last week alone saw enough exciting performances to suggest it is going to live up to the hype.

It's a perfect start to chasing for the talented hurdler Champ, after an impressive display in the KKA-Highpoint Beginners' Chase under Barry Geraghty for Nicky Henderson and JP McManus 👏 pic.twitter.com/0e66sGxLo1

— Newbury Racecourse (@NewburyRacing) November 7, 2019

At Newbury on Thursday we saw the reappearance and chasing debut of Champ (148p), one of the leading novice hurdlers of the last season. The seven-year-old was sent off at 13/8-on in a beginners’ chase where all bar one of the six runners had demonstrated at least useful form over hurdles, and, in winning readily by three and a half lengths, he could hardly have made a better start.

Champ certainly has the physique of a chaser, and, though taking a while to warm up in the jumping department, he was very good when it mattered most, drawing alongside the pace-setting Dashel Drasher (140p) at the last and barely coming off the bridle as he asserted on the run-in. An exciting prospect, he is likely to take plenty of beating in all the season’s top staying novice chases, starting with the Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Timeform’s top-rated novice chasers in 2019/20

The next performances of note came in Friday’s novices’ chase at Warwick, with a thrilling game of cat and mouse developing between the two big players, Maire Banrigh (142p) and Thomas Darby (143p). The experience of the front-running Maire Banrigh ultimately proved the difference as she beat last season’s Supreme runner-up Thomas Darby by a length.

The winner was always well placed at a track that favours speed, making the running and jumping superbly. She never looked in any danger of defeat once quickening on the home turn and, having extended her overall winning sequence to four, connections are entitled to have bigger aspirations. Aintree would be tailor-made for her in the spring, but the Kingmaker back at Warwick could be a target before then.

As for Thomas Darby, he shaped perfectly well in defeat sent chasing after eight months off, no shame at all in losing out to a rival already up and running in this sphere, conceding experience, race sharpness and track position. He is likely to be suited by 2½m and looks sure to progress and win races in this sphere.

Maire Banrigh completes the four timer and is unbeaten in two starts over fences after success in the Use The https://t.co/lqX1U01hBl Tracker Novices' Chase for Harry and Dan Skelton pic.twitter.com/8EQ2pJjxUn

— Warwick Racecourse (@WarwickRaces) November 8, 2019

The star act on Saturday was Reserve Tank (148p), who showed the benefit of his initial experience over fences as he went one better in the Rising Stars Novices’ Chase at Wincanton, winning by three and three quarter lengths from the mare If You Say Run (133+).

Colin Tizzard’s charge impressed with the accuracy of his jumping and already looks at least as good as he was over hurdles last season, when winning a pair of Grade 1s in novice company. Still only a five-year-old, there's undoubtedly better to come and he's to the forefront of what already looks a very exciting crop of novice chasers at around 2½m.

Reserve Tank just has that little bit more to carry him to the win in the John Romans Park Homes 'Rising Stars' Novices' Chase

Watch LIVE on @ITV4 pic.twitter.com/7Zze47wwhL

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 9, 2019

Another name to add to that list who may have gone under the radar slightly is Saturday’s Aintree winner, Champagne Mystery (142p).

A fairly useful maiden over hurdles, he proved a totally different proposition switched to fences for a novices’ handicap on Merseyside, taking to the new discipline in rare fashion as he drew clear from four out to win by 11 lengths. He had looked a handful before the race and proved typically keen to get on with things in the event, but, taken at face value, this was the performance of a youngster who'll be up to contesting graded races and is one to follow along the way.

Also on Saturday, Naas played host to a beginners’ chase that has proved most informative in recent years, with the top-class Road To Respect (2016) amongst those on the roll of honour. Admittedly, this year’s renewal lost some of its shine when no less than five of the runners departed at the first, but it still looks a race likely to throw up smart chasers.

That comment certainly applies to the winner Tornado Flyer (141p), who endured something of a truncated campaign last season but made a most encouraging start to his chasing career after six months off, overcoming a serious mid-race mistake to pick up just a second win over obstacles. He's always looked capable of showing at least smart form, a Grade 1 winner in bumpers after all, and hopefully he'll get the chance to do so this season.

Champagne Court (140p) produced a similarly promising performance at Sandown on Sunday, winning a novices’ handicap by six lengths on his chasing debut and looking sure to go on to better things. However, it was later that afternoon at Navan that we saw a contest to rival anything we’ve seen in this division so far in 2019/20.

In a beginners’ chase that proved the springboard to Footpad's unbeaten novice chasing campaign in 2017/18, the four-year-old Fakir d’Oudairies (141p) created an equally favourable impression as he opened his chase account at the third attempt (had raced twice in three-year-old events in France early last season), quickening clear between the final two flights to readily see off a field that included Melon (144p), the runner-up in the previous two renewals of the Champion Hurdle.

Lovely performance - Fakir D'oudairies was top-class over hurdles for @JosephOBrien2 & he makes a superb start to life over fences with a scintillating round of jumping @NavanRacecourse

Three winners for Mark Walsh today:

🥇 Andy Dufresne
🥇 Ballyoisin
🥇 Fakir D'oudairies pic.twitter.com/BDdzBr3v7Y

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 10, 2019

The weight-for-age allowance that Fakir d’Oudairies receives – he was in receipt of 8 lb from Melon here – already makes him a leading contender for major honours across a range of trips (likely to stay 2½m) in the novice chasing ranks. He’s very much one to follow as a result, while Melon also showed an aptitude for chasing and will be unlucky to bump into a prospect as good as the winner if taking in a similar race in the coming weeks.

Which novice most impressed our handicapper?

"The strongest piece of novice chase form during the past week arguably came at Navan on Sunday, when Fakir d’Oudairies made full use of his four-year-old weight allowance to see off dual Champion Hurdle runner-up Melon in a field which should throw up plenty of good winners over the coming weeks. That said, it was another novice chaser carrying the J.P. McManus silks who impressed me most in recent days, namely the highly-regarded Champ. His chasing debut win at Newbury on Thursday came against decent opposition and was backed up by a solid timefigure, so the fact Champ could score with a fair bit in hand clearly bodes well for the future – I fully expect him to be one of the leading home-trained novice chasers of 2019/20." – Phil Turner, Senior Jumps Analyst