Ruby Walsh: five key talking points for the 2024-25 Jumps season

Ruby also mentioned the potential Cheltenham Festival changes, at the time of writing, in the Racing TV Club Magazine, and has since voiced his opinions following the release of the changes.

Can Willie Mullins retain both trainers’ titles? It’s very possible, but a lot will depend on his approach. However you look at it, he had a little over £300k in hand last year, and it’s easy to contribute the winning margin to I Am Maximus in the Randox Grand National. It’s a punt to bank on winning the National to win a championship, but in 2015/2016, Willie only missed out by just over £100,000 with one winner less and no National victory. Almost 10 years ago, £2.5m was good enough to be the champion trainer in the UK but, Covid years aside, that bar is now in the region of £3m. That’s the target for Nicholls, Henderson, Skelton, and Mullins. So, does Willie have to target a few more big pots not to rely on the National? 

Probably, and when you have something, who wants to let it go? So when, not if, they go at it, it will entertain. 

I am not superstitious, but if you are and read what I wrote last year, then you will feel I put the mockers on Sean Bowen by predicting he was on the way to becoming Champion Jockey last September. Obviously, a fall on Boxing Day changed that, and a six-week absence stalled his momentum, which opened the door for Harry Cobden to chase him down. Momentum is the keyword because once you lose it, it’s challenging to regain it. Bowen has regained it now and is motoring towards the half century at the time of writing with Harry Skelton hot on his tail. Cobden’s’ winning score of 164 last year looks well beyond what will be required to be champion this year. The rate at the minute is just over 11 winners a month, so somewhere between 120 and 130 looks the likely target. If two of the three mentioned above can stay sound, then the UK will have a championship battle like Ireland had last year. Talking of Ireland, with Jack Kennedy having missed the first 10 weeks of this season, a title defence will be hard for him, and Paul Townend is back in pole position. 

Constitution Hill gained many headlines last season, but not the ones any of us wanted him to be getting. Every sport needs stars, and ours is no different, so when one falls out of the sky, it leaves a hole. The sounds emitting from Seven Barrows are positive, and even a doubter like me doesn’t have to think too hard to recall the resurrection of Sprinter Sacre. I can still see him sweeping by me in the Champion Chase under Nico De Bonville, wondering if he would keep going, hoping he wouldn’t, and then realising he was going to. I am not for blowing undue smoke in anyone’s direction, but the one plus to getting older is getting wiser. Nicky Henderson has been here, done that and is still wearing the t-shirt. I would bet a penny to a pound that he only has one day in his calendar for Constitution Hill, and that’s the day he missed last year. Shout, moan, and give out all you want, but if you start at the top and work backwards with a horse carrying a question mark, what day do you want to do it? The answer is simple. Tuesday, March 11, 2025. 

It looked to me by the end of last spring that the division which could strengthen most was the top-staying chaser one. Fastorslow downed Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown, and the Gold Cup hero headed for the field, looking like a champion but not unbeatable. Those two will provide some exciting clashes, but they might not have it all their own way because Fact To File, I Am Maximus, Inothewayyourthinkin, Spillane’s Tower, Gaelic Warrior and Grey Dawning all left the impression that they have bright futures. I am not sure I saw a novice to challenge in the two-mile division; perhaps that might ultimately be Gaelic Warrior’s trip, but only time will tell if he can cut it at that trip in open company. 

Some of the above will fall short of the standard required for a Gold Cup by March and may end up in the Ryanair, but the novice chasing conveyor belt churned out some rising stars, so here is hoping they can deliver and that this year’s crop strengthens it even further. 

Finally, the chasing division looks strong, but the hurdling cupboard looks light. The top novice hurdlers of the last two seasons all have the pedigrees and size to be chasers. I know that applies to Constitution Hill and State Man too, but it is the lack of Flat horses of a decent standard going jumping that is dwindling the competition over the smaller obstacles. Blame the Fred Winter if you wish for the small fields in the Triumph of late, but the reality is that those who once transferred from the Flat to Jumps are now going from the Flat to a foreign land, or are they just overpriced for what they can do? Only Not So Sleepy and Zanahiyr started their careers on the Flat in the UK or Ireland in the last three runnings of the Champion Hurdle. In 2021, you could add Aspire Tower, Silver Streak and Goshen, but if you look at 2025, what will you have? Bottler’secret and Nurburgring are 66-1 shots. If they get there, both will only be five-year-olds, but there is zero from the 11 who lined up in the Supreme, zero from the seven who lined up in the Gallagher, and zero from the equivalent races at Aintree or Punchestown. No ex-UK or Irish Flat horse ran in the Grade 1 two-mile or middle distance novice hurdles at the three major spring festivals, and only six of the 21 juveniles who did run were trained on the Flat. Vauban won the Lonsdale, and Magical Zoe won the Ebor, but neither would be fancied in the Champion Hurdle. The fall-off in numbers in the higher rungs of the hurdling division is not hard to trace.