Olly Murphy: My 2024/25 Five To Follow
Castle Ivers
The plan is to go novice hurdling with him. He’s a lovely, lovely horse who won two bumpers for me last season.
He was too free in the Aintree bumper, but he’s a winner of a Point-to-Point for Tom Keating, and he’s a horse we absolutely love.
Their owners [Bective Stud] are putting a lot of money into Irish National Hunt racing and, hopefully, we can get a few horses this side of the Irish Sea in their colours as well. They’ve been very supportive of me for the last three or four years and, hopefully, this lad will fly the flag for them.
Strong Leader
Not very original being a Grade One winner from last season but very, very unexposed at three miles. I believe he should be unbeaten at the trip – I thought he was very unlucky not to win the Cleeve Hurdle last season as he got in no rhythm at all and came home very strong.
He then obviously won a Grade One at Aintree on his last start. We’ll look at Newbury on Hennessy Day for the Long Distance Hurdle and then he’ll go to Ascot at Christmas for the Long Walk Hurdle.
His form is better on a flat track. Will we go back to Cheltenham at some point? I would imagine so. I think he’s a better horse on a flat track and Aintree does really suit him.
If we’re thinking about the Stayers’ Hurdle route, then I’d imagine we’ll have a run in the Cleeve Hurdle first. I don’t know why, he just doesn’t seem to come down the hill well enough and doesn’t really get in a great rhythm with his jumping. He’s not the most natural either so he’s obviously a very, very good horse and, whenever it clicks with him, he looks very good.
Fingers crossed he can boss that staying division this season.
Resplendent Grey
He’s a lovely horse to go novice chasing with.
He won on debut at Uttoxeter and ran really well at Cheltenham when second in a Listed race recently too.
He’s a horse that I think is really going to improve over three miles and he’s one I love. I don’t see any reason why he can’t defy the handicapper and take a rise again.
He’s by Walk In The Park and he’s certainly one I think will keep on improving.
Junker D’Allier
He won on his hurdling debut and was pretty impressive at Carlisle.
He’s a horse we’ve always loved. He didn’t win a bumper last season, but he’s always done everything nicely at home and, hopefully, he’s one to keep on the right side of in novice hurdles.
He’s a horse who loves soft ground and we’ll step him up to kind of intermediate trips before too long.
Butch
He’s going to go novice chasing. He was meant to start off at Carlisle a few weeks ago but had a bad scope so I’d imagine he’ll probably go to Aintree in the first week of December.
He had a very good year last year, winning a novice and a handicap at Cheltenham. He’s rated in the early 140s and, hopefully, he’s going to make up into a real, lovely kind of staying novice chaser.
I’d be very surprised if he didn’t get to a higher level of fences than hurdles, but they love to fool you! He’s schooled very well and schooled out on the grass at the back end of last season, I’m hoping he’d turn into a Graded novice chaser.