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RaceiQ: the ten best jumpers over hurdles
By Andy Stephens
Last Updated: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Having looked at the top jumpers over fences on Wednesday, we now turn the spotlight onto the hurdlers.
There’s a surprise at No 1 but plenty of familiar names among the top ten, including a pair who are candidates for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
1 LARZAC
Age: 5. Trainer: Faye Bramley. Jump Index: 8.95: Official Rating: 124.
A fanfare, please, for the unheralded Larzac.
He is some way off the top echelons of the hurdling tree but in terms of the hurdling bit, then he is at the top.
The French-bred gelding is a son of No Risk At All, the sire of Allaho, Epatante and Kopek des Bordes among others, and began life in his native France before being snapped up by JP McManus and moved to Willie Mullins.
He failed to win in five starts for the master trainer, including when twice tried at Grade One level, even though his jumping was top notch. His Jump Index scores were 8.3, 9.7, 8.9, 8.7 and 9.6.
His two best scores have come in the heat of battle at the Punchestown Festival, when he gained ground at all 18 hurdles he tackled.
Larzac has left Closutton and is now with Faye Bramley, winning a maiden hurdle at Uttoxeter on his debut for the yard this month. He gained 17 lengths in the air and got a score of 8.6, which was on a different plane to most of his rivals.
He is one to look out for in handicaps, when his jumping is sure to stand him in good stead.
2 SMART DECISION
Age: 5. Trainer: Tom Easterby. Jump Index: 8.72. Official Rating: 117.
If RaceiQ had room for statues at their Kennington headquarters, then perhaps Smart Decision would enter calculations. He’s not a household name but he’s had 12 races and had the best Jump Index each time. Who cannot be impressed by form figures of 111111111111.
And we might not have to wait long to get another look at his technique as he is entered to run at Wetherby on Saturday.
Having landed five of his first seven races, the wins have dried up a bit for him, but his fluent leaping has remained a constant.
He’s not scored anything lower than an 8.2 in his past ten races and achieved a personal best 9.3 on his latest start, at Haydock in April.
3 BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD
Age: 7. Trainer: Gordon Elliott. Jump Index: 8.69. Official Rating: 159.
Brighterdaysahead is to stay ovcer hurdles this season (Healy Racing)
Plans to switch Brighterdaysahead to fences have again been shelved, which is a surprise given her physique and prowess when it comes to negotiating hurdles.
Chasing’s loss seems likely to be the gain of the Mares Hurdle, which has already been ringed in her calendar.
She’s had three runs at Cheltenham and her jumping has improved in chunks. She “only” got a 7.1 when runner-up in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle in 2024 but bumped that up to 7.9 in the Champion Hurdle 12 months later. And last year she was almost faultless as she chalked up a 9.6, with a highlight being her attacking the second last at 36.31mph.
4 WILFUL
Age: 7. Trainer: Jonjo & AJ O’Neill. Jump Index: 8.68. Official Rating: 153.
Wilful wins on his return at Carlisle
The progressive Wilful has come a long way since winning at Hexham and Worcester in the summer of 2024, when he had rating of 116. His fluent jumping has undoubtedly helped him climb the ladder.
He got 9.2 when landing the valuable Ascot Rotary Club Festive Handicap Hurdle in December, and 8.9 when scooping the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Each time, the lengths he gained jumping made the difference between victory and defeat.
He’s swiped the most lengths in six of his past eight starts and, having won on his return at Carlisle, the Champion Hurdle dream is still alive.
5 CONYERS HILL
Age: 8. Trainer: Paul Nolan. Jump Index: 8.65. Official Rating: 128.
Conyers Hill has not run over hurdles since April 2024, so he might stay in this top ten for a good while yet.
His official chase rating is 139, suggesting he is 11lb better in that sphere, but his Jump Index scores paint a different picture, as his Chase Jump Index score is 7.6
In other words, the data says he is much more efficient at jumping hurdles, than he is fences.
6 SOBER GLORY
Age: 6. Trainers: Philip Hobbs & Johnson White. Jump Index: 8.61. Official Rating: 153.
Sober Glory is going to be unleashed over fences this season and we will be in for a treat if the Supreme Novices’ runner-up jumps them anything like as well as he does his hurdles.
He gave early notice of his prowess when gaining almost 13 lengths in the air when winning at Chepstow, and he swiped similar when scoring at Newbury in January before grabbing another 17 back there the following month.
In terms of overall jumping, he upped his game again at Cheltenham (9.5) and Aintree (9.2) for all that he was beaten at both meetings. A rare and untimely error came when he bungled the final flight in the Supreme, getting an individual score of 6.7 for that effort. He had chalked up a 10 and 9.8 at the previous two.
7 ANZADAM
Age: 6. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.59. Official Rating: 152.
Anzadam has some lessons to learn if he is to realise his full potential but there is no denying that he is up near the top of the class when it comes to jumping.
Indeed, he would be even higher in this list but for getting an 8.1 at Punchestown on his latest start. His six scores before that had been 8.9, 8.8, 9.1, 9.3, 9.3 and 8.5.
Anzadam has not been a bully when it comes to Lengths Gained Jumping, with his biggest haul being the 11.76 he picked up in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown. That was almost the same as Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead put together.
8 HIGH FIBRE
Age: 7. Trainer: James Owen. Jump Index: 8.58. Official Rating: 120.
Owen told us more about High Fibre after a win at Market Rasen
High Fibre looks one for your trackers as he has shown improved form on the Flat this summer, having joined James Owen and been upped in distance.
On his latest start he was a fine fourth in the Cesarewitch off a mark of 84.
He is unexposed beyond 2m over hurdles, and we will surely be seeing him over longer trips. Couple that with his excellent hurdling technique and it’s a win-win situation, with more jumping to be done.
High Fibre has gained ground with his jumping in all 16 of his races over hurdles, plus got scores of 9 or more on four occasions.
9 KARGESE
Age: 6. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jump Index: 8.54. Official Rating: 152.
You cannot keep her out of the picture. The No 1 jumper of fences had established herself among the top 10 jumpers of a hurdle before that. Will we ever see her over the smaller obstacles again? It seems unlikely.
10 MYDADDYPADDY
Age: 5. Trainer: Dan Skelton. Jump Index: 8.52. Official Rating: 153.
Mydaddypaddy is being aimed at the Champion Hurdle and his supporters will be encouraged that his Jump Index is marginally better than that of Lossiemouth, albeit the mare’s score of 8.4 is based on more evidence and therefore more solid.
Missing hurdles did Mydaddypaddy no favours in the Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day, as he subsequently proved in the Supreme Novices’ when he got a score of 9.4 and gained 4.78 lengths, which was more than any other runner in the race.
10 SCORPIO RISING
Age: 6. Trainer: Olly Murphy. Jump Index: 8.52. Official Rating: 137.
Scorpio Rising made an inauspicious chasing debut at Worcester last week when he lost ground at seven of the 13 fences and trailed home well beaten.
Something must have been troubling him, or the new challenge was not his cup of tea.
Connections will always have the option of switching him back to hurdling, when his nimbleness helped keep him a step ahead of the handicapper.
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