Racing TV presenters and pundits nominate their Flat horses to follow

This time last year our presenters and pundits picked out some beauties to follow on the Flat, headlined by Gordon Brown’s three-time winner Gweedore (7-2, 13-2, 11-2) and Ed Watson’s pick of Hi Royal, who was second in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at 125-1.

Jane Mangan (Coronation Cup heroine Emily Upjohn), Donn McClean (Rosscarbery), Angus McNae (Laurel), John O’Connell (Infinite Cosmos) and Tom Stanley (Nostrum) were also on the board.

Horse:

Trainer: Ed Walker.

Age: 4yo filly.

She has wintered extremely well and was progressive last year when stepping up in trip plus will stay extreme trips this year. Officially rated 76, I think she on a very workable mark. 

Horse:

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. 

Age: 3yo colt. 

He created a deep impression when winning on debut at Leopardstown in October. He looked physically immature in the parade ring beforehand, and for him to win like he did suggests he could be anything this season. 

More stoutly bred than most of his higher-profile stable companions, he makes appeal at his current odds of 33-1 for the Betfred Derby. 

Horse:

Trainer: Katie Scott.

Age: 7yo gelding. 

‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ - that’s why I’m nominating the same horse to follow again this year! During a busy 2023, he won three nice prizes (at decent prices!) as well as finishing a close third on his first try over six furlongs in the Ayr Gold Cup. 

That will be his end-of-season target once more, but before that he will attempt to win at Musselburgh on Easter Saturday for the third successive year. 

Look out for an ambitious tilt at the Wokingham Handicap in mid-summer for this evergreen seven-year-old, too. 

Horse:

Trainer: Clive Cox.

Age: 3yo colt. 

I can't wait to see more of this unbeaten son of Invincible Spirit, who looked all about stamina when out-gruelling his rivals to plunder the Royal Lodge. 

Clive Cox is convinced he'll come into his own when stepped up in trip, with the Betfred Derby very much his main aim this campaign. 

And although there's plenty of staying power on the dam's side, there's speed, too - perhaps a trip to the Curragh could see him pick up the Irish 2,000 Guineas en route to a crack at the Epsom showpiece.

He might be named Ghostwriter, but I expect him to pen his own version of history in 2024. 

Horse:

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien.

Age: 3yo colt. 

Not a very original selection but he is the horse I'm most excited about and one I think can make significant strides this season. 

His unbeaten season ended with a spectacular five-length victory in the Group One National Stakes over 7f at the Curragh. 

Henry Longfellow is certainly bred for further, too, with his sire Dubawi winning twice at the top level over a mile, and his mum is the brilliant Minding. 

He looks very smart already. Suited to both the Irish Guineas or the Derby at Epsom. 

Horse:

Trainer: Jack Channon.

Age: 3yo filly.

A 200,000gns purchase by Advertise, Staincliff only ran twice in her juvenile season but, after an eye-catching debut at Sandown, she opened her account in likeable fashion at Newcastle in November where she was chased home by three next-time-out winners.

She showed a good attitude under pressure on both of her starts and should train on well to have a productive season up to seven furlongs.

Horse:

Trainer: William Haggas 

Age: 4yo colt.

Will always be labelled the half-brother to Baaeed and Hukum, but he's a horse that could have a solid season after being gelded over the winter. 

He has hung right on a couple of occasions but if straighter now for gelding, this lightly-raced four-year-old should pay his way, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he developed into a Cup horse this term. 

Horse:

Trainer: Karl Burke.

Age: 3yo colt. 

Spigot Lodge in Middleham is home to more promising youngsters than Anfield at the moment, and hopes are high that this wide-margin Southwell winner will develop into a high-class three-year-old. 

Owned by Clipper Logistics, the Dark Angel colt is a half-brother to Group 3-winning sprinter Far Above, but had no trouble staying seven furlongs on his debut in December. 

A nine lengths scorer, he threatens to be even better over a mile and is considered a Pattern performer in the making. Following another novice, Karl Burke’s colt will step up in class and is a most exciting prospect. 

Horse:

Trainer: Mick Appleby.

Age: 4yo colt.

Mick Appelby took his training career to another level last year with Big Evs giving him top-level glory at the Breeders’ Cup. 

Michaela’s Boy is lower down the sprinting ladder but he is very fast. He is just the type to improve heading into his four-year-old season and he should more than pay his way in five-furlong handicaps, especially at sharp tracks like York. 

Horse:

Trainer: Andrew Balding 

Age: 3yo colt. 

Anzac Day is an undeniably well-named son of Australia. Being out of a Montjeu mare, stamina ought to be a strong suit as he heads into his classic season. 

I thought his Goodwood debut was noteworthy given late progress after a tardy start, but the win at Newmarket on his only other outing was emphatic and left connections dreaming of Epsom in early June.  Thereafter, I had a small each way bet on Anzac Day for the 2024 Derby, so if he is to emulate his sire exactly a decade on by winning the legendary race that sits just fine with me! 

Horse:

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien.

Age: 3yo colt. 

Ortelius is still a maiden after two runs last season as a two-year-old, but he was better in each of those races than the bare form suggests. 

He was very slowly away on debut at the Curragh in August, so he did well to go down by just a head to Tamrat. On his second run, in a one-mile maiden at Newmarket at the end of September, he was drawn in stall one, furthest from the stands' side rails. He did well to stay on as well as he did to finish third in a 17-horse race in which the other four horses who filled the first five places were drawn in the four highest stalls.

By Justify and out of a half-sister to the top-class mare Rushing Fall, Aidan O’Brien’s colt should get further than a mile on that evidence, and he could progress as a middle-distance three-year-old as the season develops. 

Horse:

Trainer: Charlie Appleby.

Age: 3yo filly. 

She put up a remarkable performance to win the Jumeirah Guineas at Meydan and remain unbeaten in four starts. Despite her saddling slipping and William Buick having to kick his feet out of the irons, she surged clear of her rivals showing an impressive turn of foot. 

Her final quarter mile of 21.46s in such adversity is testament to her raw ability. She has an electric turn of foot and is a live player for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket for which she is generally available at 14/1. 

Horse:

Trainer: Paddy Twomey. 

Age: 3yo colt. 

I was impressed with his front running performance in the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh and see him as a proper middle-distance prospect. 

He has all the Classic entries at ten to 12 furlongs, which suggests he has wintered well and could be a force at the top table this year.

Horse:

Trainer: Andrew Balding.

Age: 3yo filly. 

Warda Jamila looked a class act when readily making all in a 1m fillies' novice at Leicester in October. This well-bred daughter of Calyx improved from her debut fourth over 7f at the same track. 

Winning jockey Jason Watson was effusive afterwards and insisted: "She's got plenty of quality and I had a job trying to pull her up." 

This expensive purchase is likely to step up in trip, as a half-sister to top-class stablemate Coltrane. There's much more to come. 

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Horse:

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien.

Age: 3yo colt.  

He only made it to the track late in his Juvenile year but what he did in his two starts convinced me he should develop into a serious three year-old. 

The half-brother to Danedream was well fancied for the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on the strength of an easy Curragh maiden success just 16 days earlier, Although only third to stablemate Los Angeles, I thought he shaped like the best horse in the race. 

His connections also have a certain City Of Troy, but Illinois looks proper Derby material. 

Horse:

Trainer: Dermot Weld. 

Age: 3yo filly. 

While many eyes were on British Champions Day at Ascot last Autumn, Dermot Weld unleashed a filly of some potential in a heavy ground 7f maiden at Leopardstown. 

Azada mowed down her rivals with an impressive burst, despite the trip looking on the short side and the daughter of Siyouni looks certain to be better over a mile. 

If she proves as good on a sounder surface, the future looks very bright. 

Horse:

Trainer: Andrew Balding.

Age: 3yo filly. 

Out of a very good mare, she was placed in Group 2 and Group 1 company from three starts. Versatile regarding ground, she’s from a family that does well with time, so is sure to improve from two to three, and could be a real candidate for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas. 

Horse:

Trainer: Dermot Weld.

Age: 3yo filly. 

She won impressively on debut in a well-contested end-of-season maiden in Leopardstown. She was slowly away and raced in rear on very testing conditions but began to make progress over two furlongs out and won readily. 

She is from an excellent Moyglare Stud family. Her dam Sapphire was a multiple stakes winner and her grand dam Polished Gem was the dam of Group 1 winners Search For A Song, Kyprios and Free Eagle. 

She holds entries in the Irish and French Guineas, and Irish Oaks. She is trained by Dermot Weld and looks to have an exciting career ahead of her. 

Horse:

Trainer: David Menuisier.

Age: 3yo colt. 

Devil’s Point ended last season with a fine second in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster behind Ancient Wisdom.  One of the great racing cliches is “anything he does as a two-year-old is a bonus” and it certainly applied to this son of New Bay who was palpably a work in progress from a physical point of view as a two-year-old. 

Assuming he has made simply standard progress through the winter, I expect his shrewd handler to find some juicy opportunities with cut in the ground across Europe, and he may even win a big one in Britain. 

Horse:

Trainer: Ralph Beckett.

Age: 3yo colt.

He is a horse I have a real soft spot for, and I was lucky enough to see him in the flesh on his first start at Newbury last summer. 

He is a really striking-looking son of Ulysses and he looked ultimately a three-year-old in the making. I remember saying on air that he was one for the future whatever he did on his first day out, so it was really impressive to see him winning, despite doing everything wrong in doing so having been slow away and finding his stride late on to go past his stable companion. 

He backed that up in gutsy style in the future stayers novice at Newmarket, despite having to give away a penalty. The handicapper has given him a mark of 93, which I think is workable and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in something like the London Gold Cup early on in the season at Newbury, a track he knows how to win at. 

He has a Derby entry which might be a bit ambitious, but wherever Ralph Beckett and the very successful Valmont ownership choose to do, I will be following! 

Horse:

Trainer: Ralph Beckett.

Age: 3yo colt. 

Hopefully he can progress into the type of middle-distance horse that has won a back-end of season Nottingham maiden and gone onto better things. 

A Derby campaign will likely be in the offing. He's a Night Of Thunder colt with plenty of stamina on his dam side, and whilst I'm not absolutely convinced he'll be a 12-furlong horse, the sire is getting an increasing number of decent middle-distance horses. 

Horse:

Trainer: Andrew Balding. 

Age: 3yo filly. 

I’m intrigued to see how far Warda Jamila will stay this term being by Calyx, but her stablemate Windcrack looks guaranteed to improve for a trip, and is an interesting handicap project for 12-14 furlong races. 

Two promising all-weather starts against 80-plus rated rivals underline her ability, but with stamina shouting from the pedigree, there is much more to come when that is put to the test. 

Horse:

Trainer: Ed Dunlop.

Age: 3yo gelding. 

His trainer has enjoyed a resurgent couple of seasons and Cuban Fiesta, owned by one of his principal patrons, Paul Turner, is now qualified for handicaps. 

The son of Havana Grey showed no more than modest ability in three starts over six furlongs in 2023 but a BHA mark of 66 doesn’t look punitive, and he can show to better effect when stepped up in trip this year.