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RaceiQ: the ten best jumpers over fences
By Andy Stephens
Last Updated: Wed 28 Oct 2026
Which horses are the quickest when it comes from getting to A to B in a steeplechase? Andy Stephens studies what the data tells us.
There are few more stirring sights than watching a steeplechaser in full flight.
The power. The precision. The courage. The athleticism of the thoroughbred is compelling, sustaining many of us through the dark winter months and beyond.
And with the help of modern technology, we can now appreciate the master jumpers even better.
RaceiQ built on the success of their Lengths Gained Jumping model by launching a Jump Index metric a couple of years ago.
It quantifies a horse’s jumping ability at each obstacle, plus compares the efficiency, speed and fluency of jumps against all those recorded in its database.
Entry speeds, exit speeds, speed lost, recovery times and the passage spent in the jumping envelope (30 metres before and after a fence) are all part of the equation.
Complex GPS tracking data is turned into an easy summary of how well, or badly, a horse has jumped in a race, with a score out of ten produced. In short, the number crunching machine tells us who has been quickest at getting from A to B.
Once any horse has had three completed starts over obstacles, he or she gets a Career Jump Index rating out of ten. Like the handicap system, these scores can move up and down.
Heading into the core season, the below are RaceiQ top ten jumpers over fences.
Between them, they have had 78 runs over fences and never fallen. In fact, they’ve had 141 races under Rules and never fallen.
Five of them share the same sire in Walk In The Park, the 2005 Derby runner-up and champion National Hunt stallion, while another of his offspring, Monty’s Star, is just outside the top ten.
Three of the others are French breds, starting with our No1, the Queen of the jumpers. Look out for another column on Thursday, when we will turn the spotlight onto the hurdlers.
1 KARGESE
Age: 6. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.93. Official Rating: 154.
Eight months on from a pulsating edition of the Arkle, and still nobody can agree what would have happened if the protagonists, Kargese and Kopek Des Bordes, had both jumped the final fence cleanly.
Kargese did. Kopek Des Bordes didn’t. And the rest is history. The mare with springs in her feet took all the plaudits.
If “Himself” was looking down, then he would have given a nod of approval. The fences are there to be jumped, after all, and Kargese was seemingly born to leap over them.
Her average entry speed at Cheltenham was 31.22mph and perhaps more significant, her average exit speed was 29.90mph, which was best of the bunch. She lost an average of just 3.3mph at each obstacle and her recovery time (the time it takes to get back up to the average speed of the race) was only 0.59 seconds.
She’s in, she’s out. In a flash. There is no hanging about.
By way of comparison, Kopek Des Borde’s average exit speed was 29.25mph; he lost 4.34mph per fence; and his recovery time was 1.26sec. Small fractions that added up to a huge difference.
In short, he got a lesson in precise jumping, as did most of those who crossed swords with Kargese last season.
Flying machine: Kargese in typical; pose last season (Healy Racing)
She ran four times as a novice chaser and her Jump Index scores were 8.5, 9.3, 9.1 and 9.1. We are looking at the highest of bars here.
The French-bred is/was also a superb jumper of hurdles, with her rating over the smaller obstacles being 8.5.
Overall, RaceiQ has given scores for 112 of the hurdles/fences she has jumped since joining Willie Mullins and she has barely made an error, gaining ground over 99 (88.39 per cent).
Moreover, she has gained lengths in the air every time she has run, swiping 29.34 lengths in her races over fences.
Perhaps we should not be surprised. Kargese’s sire, Jeu St Eloi, ran over hurdles and fences in France (always completed) and he is a half-brother to dual Grade One-winning chaser Oculi.
Kargese begins this season quoted at 8-1 for the Champion Chase. If she comes up short, it is unlikely to be her jumping which lets her down.
2 GIDLEIGH PARK
Age: 8. Trainer: Harry Fry. Jump Index: 8.88. Official Rating: 155.
One victory from six races over fences masks the fact that Gidleigh Park is fabulous at getting from A to B.
While he may lack all the necessary tools to be a win machine, and has clearly not been the easiest to train, there is little to fault in his jumping technique.
He has jumped best in all six of his races over fences, several in smart company, and has gained an average of more than seven lengths in the air each time.
The highlight has been his Grade Two success at Windsor in January. He gave his rivals a lesson in jumping that day, gaining more than 15 lengths.
First time out last season, he split Jango Baie and Pic D’Orhy in the 1965 Chase at Ascot. I’d imagine a return trip is on the cards.
3 LOVELY HURLING
Age: 7. Trainer: Colm Murphy. Jump Index: 8.85. Official Rating: 145.
Lovely Hurling failed to win of his three races over fences last season, but there were mitigating circumstances as he bumped into Kopek Des Bordes, Kargese and then Jacob’s Ladder. He finished runner-up to each of them.
He was an intended runner in the Grade One Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown in late April, too, but was a late non-runner because of a temperature.
Three runs is limited evidence to be judging him by, but his Jump Undex scores have been a hugely encouraging 9.1, 9.3 and 9.1, with 21 lengths being gained. That is a solid foundation for a second-season novice owned by JP McManus to build on, and, with a rating of 145, he is out to look out for in top-end handicaps.
The data says he jumped better than Kopek Des Bodres when they clashed, and that he was the equal of Kargese when they met in a beginners’ chase. In all, he’s jumped 30 fences and gained ground at all bar one of them.
“He would get you out of bed in the morning,” said his trainer, Colm Murphy, after the Walk In The Park gelding lost his maiden tag over hurdles in February 2025. He remains one to keep a close eye on.
4 FASTORSLOW
Age: 10. Trainer: Martin Brassil. Jump Index: 8.64. Official Rating: 165.
Fastorslow seems destined to always be remembered for winning two editions of the Punchestown Gold Cup at the expense of Galopin Des Champs.
Pivotal on each occasion was his superb jumping, especially on the second occasion, in 2024, when he gained almost 19 lengths off Galopin Des Champs in the air. His winning distance was just over a length, so it is evident where the battle between them was won.
Fastorslow has always scored heavily in the Lengths Gained Jumping department, averaging about nine per race.
Unfortunately, we have only seen him twice in the past couple of years and the challenge for him this term, when he will turn 11, will be to continue jumping with speed and acumen.
5 SHUFFLE THE DECK
Age: 6. Trainer: Ted Walsh. Jump Index: 8.62. Official Rating: 134.
Like Lovely Hurling, Shuffle The Deck is a second-season novice chaser sired by Walk In The Park and owned by JP McManus.
A nimble jumper over hurdles (Jump Index 8), he kept up the good work over fences last term, with his five scores ranging between 8.3 and 9.2. He never gained anything less than 7.41 lengths with his leaping, averaging almost ten per race.
None of this will be much consolation to his supporters, as fingers were burnt. He never went off bigger than 5-1 and was a heavily backed beaten favourite at the festival meetings at Fairyhouse and Punchestown in the spring.
However, Shuffle The Deck did keep good company, running in races won by such as Kitzbuhel, Koktail Devin, Soldier In Milan and Funiculi Funicula.
With his rating having slipped to 134, and in the best of hands, he’s not one to be giving up on just yet, especially when jumping will be at a premium.
6 FACT TO FILE
Age: 9. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.59. Official Rating: 173.
Fact To File gives the impression that you could stick a blindfold him, and he would still glide over the fences without mishap.
He never ran over hurdles, and RaceiQ have been able to give him ratings and rankings for all bar one of his 13 races over fences. Consequently, we have lots of evidence to judge him by and his Jump Index is more robust than most others in this list.
He’s jumped best in seven of those 12 races, often in exalted company, and been second best on three other occasions. It’s been a similar story in terms of Lengths Gained Jumping.
His one blip, if you can call it that, was when he got 7.8 in last season’s King George VI Chase. Four of his rivals jumped better, which is a rarity, and he lost 3.48 lengths.
But it would be wrong to focus on that effort, as his CV includes some spectacular jumping displays, including in the Irish Gold Cup in February when he got a Jump Index score of 9.6 and gained 18 lengths – an average of more than a length per fence.
Given the A Listers he was up against that day, including Gaelic Warrior and Galopin Des Champs, that was a monumental effort. Keep in mind that you can jump brilliantly and gain nothing if all the others in the line-up jump equally brilliantly. Likewise, you can jump appallingly and lose nothing if all the others are as bad.
Fact To File also gained 21.56 lengths in the John Durkan last term, plus another 12 lengths in the Punchestown Gold Cup. He devours fences, stealing chunks of advantage in the process.
It seems the Ryanair Chase is his likely end-of-season aim. He was a late absentee last season, with ground conditions deemed unsuitable, but had scored 8.8 out of 10 when winning the race the year before, when swiping another 11.58 lengths in the air.
Wherever he runs, tune in. He’s a pleasure to watch.
7 REGENT’S STROLL
Age: 7. Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Jump Index: 8.58. Official Rating: 149.
Paul Nicholls tells us more about Regent's Stroll
Yazz’s The Only Way Is Up would have been a good soundtrack for the exuberant Regent’s Stroll in his first season over fences last term.
The zestful seven-year-old was a sight for sore eyes (maybe he could alternate his soundtrack with the M People tune) as he stood off his fences here, there and everywhere, scoring between 8.2 and 9.7.
He gained an aggregate of 48 lengths, building on his polished performances over hurdles (Jump Index 8.2 in that sphere).
In his past ten races (hurdles and fences), he’s been the best jumper in the race on eight occasions. On his final start at Aintree in April, he clocked up seven scores of 9.0 or higher at seven of the obstacles.
He does it all with a smile on his face, and if he can just curb some of his enthusiasm then there might be even more to come. He’s the third in this list sired by Walk In The Park.
8 COME WALK WITH ME
Age: 7. Trainer: Edward Cawley. Jump Index: 8.49. Official Rating: 146.
Cawley shares his thoughts with Kevin O'Ryan after victory at Punchestown
Eddie Cawley trains a small team of horses at his base in County Meath and he owns virtually all of them as well. Come Walk With Me (no prizes for guessing his sire) must have an extra special place in his affections because he also bred him.
Jockeys should pay to ride Come Walk With Me, given his nimble nature. He was a good jumper over hurdles (Index 8.3) and it was the same story over fences last term, when he signed off with notable victories at Fairyhouse and Punchestown.
At the latter track, he romped home in a Listed 2m handicap chase courtesy of gaining almost 19 lengths, earning a Jump Index score of 8.9. He also got scores of 9.0 at Navan and Leopardstown earlier in the campaign.
Cawley is hoping he may progress beyond handicaps this season and his accurate leaping will stand him in good stead when he moves up in grade.
8 GEMIRANDE
Age: 10. Trainer: Venetia Williams. Jump Index: 8.49. Official Rating: 139.
Gemirande’s polished jumping helped him land the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham last season after an earlier success at Ascot.
He lost his way after those victories during a challenging time for his trainer, but he continued to impress in the jumping department, never scoring less than an 8.1.
Six of his past eight races have been at Cheltenham, with the other pair at Newbury and Aintree, so it’s not as if he’s been set easy assignments.
In total, he’s had 19 races over fences and never fallen or unseated his rider. Having slipped in the ratings, he will be worth a second look when he reappears provided there is no low sun about. Good jumpers like him are heavily penalised when fences are missed out.
10 NOBLE PARK
Age: 7. Trainer: Nicky Henderson. Jump Index: 8.43. Official Rating: 130.
Noble Park’s official rating rose by 24lb last season, with his jumping key to his progression.
He gained 25 lengths first time up when winning at Hereford and then grabbed another 20 when following up at Lingfield. His six scores ended up being 8.6. 9.0, 7.8, 9.2, 8.6 and 8.7.
Life will be tougher for him this season, off his new mark, and his days of big gains will be much harder to achieve. He completes Walk In The Park’s five-a-side team.
BUBBLING UNDER
11 MONTY’S STAR
Age: 9. Trainer: Henry De Bromhead. Jump Index: 8.41. Official Rating: 159.
One of the safest conveyances in training and the data tells us he jumped equal best when tenth in the Grand National at Aintree in April.
12 SPRINGT DE LA MARE
Age: 7. Trainer: Gavin Cromwell. Jump Index: 8.40. Official Rating: 136.
Won his first two races over fences at the start of the year before fluffing his lines in his two subsequent starts, despite getting a score of 9.4 on his final start. He’s one of those horses that has improved for going over the bigger obstacles, with his hurdle Jump Index being 6.9.
13 KAID D’AUTHIE
Age: 6. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.39. Official Rating: 158.
Something of a forgotten horse in most of the pre-season previews. Was moving strongly when coming down at the 13th fence in the Brown Advisory, having jumped best of all at the 8th and 9th, and was not seen out again afterwards.
13 MAJBOROUGH
Age: 6. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.39. Official Rating: 170.
Majborough's jumping has come under a lot of scrutiny (Healy Racing)
Majborough has got a lot of bad press since blundering away his chance in the Champion Chase in March, and there now seems a consensus that he’s a “dodgy jumper”.
His overall data says otherwise, albeit confirming he has issues to resolve at Cheltenham.
In nine starts over fences he has notched up scores of 9 or more on five occasions, getting a 9.5 when pummelling his rivals in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown in February. He gained 16 lengths in the air that day.
Some may quibble with his technique, but the number crunching machine is not interested in artistic impression.
RaceiQ reveals that away from Cheltenham he has made ground at 47 of the 63 fences he has jumped (74.60 per cent). At Cheltenham, he has gained at 16 of the 26 fences (61.53 per cent).
His connections are toying with upping him in his distance, with the Ryanair Chase a possible aim. He’s a general 16-1, which is chunky given his level of ability when it all clicks.
Perhaps the longer trip and New Course will be more to his liking, and keep in mind he’s only 6. Many horses have not jumped a fence in public at this age, whereas he is moving on to season three.
15 WESTPORT COVE
Age: 8. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.37. Official Rating: 147.
We started with a Willie Mullins horse, and we are going to end with one.
Keen-going front-runner Westport Cove must be quite exhilarating to ride and let’s hope we see more of him than last season, when his season ended at Christmas.
He’s not up to beating the best but his jumping will be a weapon in big handicaps.
Enjoy our RaceiQ pace maps
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