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2026 Novice Chasers

It does leave them looking pretty top heavy with mares over fences compared to hurdles, which is a bit unusual given the mares chase is a grade two and the mares hurdle is a grade one, and there's probably better races over hurdles for them throughout the season too.

What it looks like so far

Hurdles- lossie, murcia, aurora vega maybe.

Chasing - dinoblue, spindleberry, jade, kargese, karoline banbou.

And to add to that there's now a good chance lossie goes champion hurdle. If that is the case, are they really going to just leave themselves with murcia and aurora vega for the mares hurdle?

You also could say that a few of the mares going chasing may go into open company, kargese - arkle, spindleberry - gold cup etc, but it's not really something mullins does too often, and will he do any different this season? It's not as if they're looking short of hopes for the arkle or gold cup at this moment.

I could see kargese or jade coming back over hurdles during the season, whichever one improves the least for fences might end up being they're mares hurdle number one.
 
Below are Willie's more recent comments in the Racing Post on JDG & Kargese.
The part in bold is really clear, although he obviously doesn't say which way around it will be or which specific races they will target over hurdles or fences.

Jade De Grugy
6m Doctor Dino - Diane De Grugy
Kenneth Alexander
141/12-1
RPR 153h OR 150h

A fine, big strong mare who put together three really good runs last season. She chased home Lossiemouth in the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham and then won very well at Punchestown in the Grade 1 race there. She has the option of going over fences, but we could keep her over hurdles. She will do the opposite to Kargese. If one goes over fences, the other won't. The Mares' Hurdle would be her obvious target again should she stay over hurdles.

Kargese
5m Jeu St Eloi - Rive Gauche
Kenneth Alexander
22/121-3
RPR 152h OR 152h

She was a very good juvenile and progressed again last season to win the County Hurdle. She's always been keen to get on with things and is a free-going mare who might be suited by fences. We've yet to fully decide what to do with her, but she could go chasing.
 
They’re both talented mares and could do well in mares chase, hurdle . I’ve backed for both
 
Benjy23 said:
Haha it couldn't be clearer FFS. Sometimes I'm sure you're on the wind up
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"either could go over fences"

"Probably send one..........."

"Both are fine to jump"

"I can make cases for either one going either way..."


Depends how you want to read it I suppose......
 
He's also said he'd have no problem sending them back over Hurdles so anything could happen come March. Neither have even touched a twig yet in public so don't panic !!
 
Well in the space of half hour, scratch off both

Kiss Will
Lucky Place

From the novice chasers

Very poor.
 
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That was funny to watch. :ROFLMAO:
I'd love to have seen the shock on posh boy's face cos I'm pretty sure he thought he was going to coast home.
Then that look to his left and he thought "Am I fuck".
 
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Quevega said:
That was funny to watch. :ROFLMAO:
I'd love to have seen the shock on posh boy's face cos I'm pretty sure he thought he was going to coast home.
Then that look to his left and he thought "Am I fuck".
Click to expand...

Didn't even try once they went past then stayed on again.

Really poor.
 
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darlojim said:
Well in the space of half hour, scratch off both

Kiss Will
Lucky Place

From the novice chasers

Very poor.
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t write Kiss Will off just yet, thought he did well to mount a challenge given he pulled the arms out of Paul the whole way round, on bottomless ground. It was very much an educational ride.

He’ll come on plenty & if he settles better now the freshness is out of the system at 100/1 he’s worth a stab.
 
SeanRock said:
I wouldn’t write Kiss Will off just yet, thought he did well to mount a challenge given he pulled the arms out of Paul the whole way round, on bottomless ground. It was very much an educational ride.

He’ll come on plenty & if he settles better now the freshness is out of the system at 100/1 he’s worth a stab.
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100/1 shot so not wild to have a stab at those sort of odds, but I didn't like how he jumped myself. Looked a little bit static and didnt seem to have too much scope for them and when he was asked for once he put down.

I could see Willie having at least 2 or 3 ahead of him in the pecking order
 
Was debating with myself on adding Kiss Will today. Glad i didn't. He looked, on breeding to be the best of the Willie also-rans from last year that came out towards the fez. Kappa Jy Pyke, Karafon (who has gone back to Crawford) etc. Thought Karniquet would improve for a fence but is obviously out injured. All down to Ballygunner now for my wild Willie bet :ROFLMAO:

Lucky Place i was half expecting. Nicky is firmly on the decline. I know that won't impress people reading that but it's what i honestly believe. He has Constitution Hill in his yard, one of the best horses we have ever seen and he can't get it to win a race, stand up etc. Jonbon can't win at Cheltenham blah blah. He has a plethora of horses in his yard that are all pretty much being trained as handicappers. People have paid a lot of money for a lot of those horses. Nobody can convince me that some of those aren't graded animals yet they never perform (and there have been a lot of them in the past few seasons) If Skelton or Mullins had Con Hill or Jonbon, i don't think there would be any discussions about well-being and them 'being behind a few weeks' etc etc. His powers are waning, it is what it is.
 
Henderson needs to be a bit firmer on his staff, I've heard plenty that I wouldn't want to share about how its going there atm, I'd love to rant but its not my place, suffice to say he's doing everything right, those beneath him, not so much.
 
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I hope that whatever is going on there can get sorted. Everybody loves Nicky Henderson and would love to see him at the top table but grandfather time is upon him.
 
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Yosser said:
I hope that whatever is going on there can get sorted. Everybody loves Nicky Henderson and would love to see him at the top table but grandfather time is upon him.
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He needs to send all his horses to Skelton . He might actually win the title then !
 
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