WILLIE Mullins went through a quiet period in beginners’ chases from mid-September to late-November, winning just one such race in that time, likely a planned approach ahead of his winter horses coming out, but the depth and quality of his novice chasers has been evident subsequently; since then, Mullins has had runners in nine beginners’ chases and won eight of them.

The last 10 days or so confirm his strength in the division. Mullins has had 13 different runners across four beginners’ chases, eight of them with published hurdles marks of at least 133, winning all four.

Three-time Grade 1 winner Dancing City was first up at Punchestown the Tuesday before last, his success never in doubt despite the runner-up closing him down late as he beat a pair of rivals that had both chase experience and race fitness.

He improved for his first start last season so should come on for this while his stablemate Olympic Man shaped better than his fourth, making a bad mistake four out when coming to join the leaders, before keeping on well late despite another mistake two out.

Spindleberry had to work harder at Cork on Friday last, only getting up to beat Majestic Force after that one made a mistake at the last.

Paul Townend summed the race up afterwards – ‘I jumped well but the second jumped so well’ – and this looks strong form from the two mares, the pair clear of third, Majestic Force getting closer to Spindleberry than their hurdle form suggested would be the case, a further step up in trip likely to suit the de Bromhead runner.

Really excited

The one to really get excited about is Majborough, however. He appeared to win the Triumph Hurdle through stamina last season, Kargese travelling better than him to the last at Cheltenham, so starting out over fences on the inner track at Fairyhouse on good to yielding seemed less than ideal.

He made light of the speed test, however, covering the sectional from three out 4.5 seconds quicker than the novice chasers in the next race, clearly going best between the final two and quickening up well, and I would take his fast closing split as evidence of raw ability more than his being suited by conditions.

Nor was this a soft race, as can sometimes be the case in beginners’ chases. He beat rivals that were rated 147 and 144 over hurdles, albeit stablemates, and while he was getting a four-year-old allowance, he was also having just his fourth start.

His jumping was not always perfect but there were some excellent leaps in there, notably four out, and there is no ability ceiling in sight with him yet.

THE card at Navan last Sunday was a low-key affair with six mid-grade handicaps though the Listed Future Champions Bumper may prove significant, with past winners going on to with the Champion Bumper in both 2018 and 2020.

Kalypso’chance is likely to head the same route, and looks the type that could do well at Cheltenham.

Many Irish bumpers are slowly run but both Kalypso ‘chance’s wins have come off a strong pace which is the norm in the Champion Bumper, unless we get a Sir Gerhard/Kilcruit year.

Patrick Mullins was a surprise jockey booking on Kalypso’chance, his recent Racing Post interview with Gordon Elliott working out well for both, and he seemed keen to educate him, dropping him and coming with an impressive late run, that sort of run style something that has proved effective in recent Champion Bumpers, four of the last five winners coming from off the pace.

Mullins commented afterwards he is ‘better than any bumper horse we’ve brought out so far’ but the ‘so far’ part of that quote is important with Mullins having had just three bumper winners in Ireland since the start of November this year, his better ones likely to come out shortly.

Promising runs

Elsewhere at Navan, there were a couple of promising runs in defeat in the handicaps.

Folly Master drifted in the betting for the two-mile handicap chase, returning from a break over a trip too sharp, but ran an excellent race, jumping well for a stayer at this trip, keeping on strongly into second having been sixth jumping two out. He looks well-handicapped moving up in distance.

Healdsburg also looks well-treated based on his sixth place finish in the three mile and a furlong handicap hurdle. In a race run at a steady gallop, he did best of those held up while also meeting trouble after three out, keeping on better from rear that the two gambled on runners that came from similar positions. This was a fine handicap debut, and he can be expected to sharpen up for it.

CHRISTMAS has the greatest concentration of high class racing away from the spring festivals and with many of the same horses contesting those fixtures, it might be worth taking a brief heat check on the quality of the form from the biggest of them: Cheltenham.

Results from the spring festivals after Cheltenham can provide false signals with the end of season producing strange results but we have now had nearly two months of the winter to assess the value of Cheltenham form, and I will cover the open races here before returning to the novice events in the Christmas edition.

That said, the championship races remain hard to assess even at this point. The 2024 Champion Hurdle was a weakened contest with no Constitution Hill, and it hard to draw firm conclusions from State Man in the Morgiana with State Man needing the run though the picture is clearer on the Champion Chase.

It looked a sub-standard contest on the day and nothing that has happened since has altered that view though that is reflected in ante-post prices for this season’s race.

The Ryanair form is muddled though a few of the main players from that race seem to peak only under circumstances whereas the Stayers Hurdle looks solid; Teahupoo ran as well as could be expected in a speed-favouring Hatton’s Grace while the placed horses Flooring Porter and Home By The Lee have won good races since.

Perhaps the Gold Cup is hardest of all to weigh up.

It was run on soft ground in a notably slow time with only six of the 11 runners completing, the sort of race that might leave a mark, and it is to Galopin Des Champs’ credit that he has come out of it to run well in the John Durkan, albeit that was a race that suggested the novices are a strong crop.

Gerri Colombe (second) and Bravemansgame (fifth) have not run to that form so far this season, while we are yet to see either L’Homme Presse (fourth) or Jungle Boogie (sixth), the latter finishing last but shaping better than the result.

Handicap form

Things are clearer from the handicap form, where two races from the Wednesday have worked out particularly well.

Langer Dan boosted the Coral Cup form himself at Aintree and both Lucky Place (won the Ascot Hurdle) and Franciscan Rock (won twice recently) have added substance to it lately, with Beacon Edge another that has done well from it.

Stronger again is the form of the Grand Annual. Runner-up Libberty Hunter won easily at Cheltenham on Saturday while the fifth Gemirande took the December Gold Cup on the same card.

The third Path d’Oroux won at the October meeting, the fourth Sa Fureur won a listed handicap chase at Navan recently while the sixth Saint Roi won a decent race at Galway.

All the horses in the frame have gone up in the weights since but the winner Unexpected Party is starting to go the other way, dropping from 149 at the start of the season down to 145 currently.

Dan Skelton has started to focus on handicaps like this, and will hardly be disappointed with this slippage, and he could be potentially well-treated when this race comes around again.