Irish hunter chasers Its On The Line and Rocky’s Howya head the leading six- and seven-year-old horses from the 2022/23 season.
That is the view of commentator and analyst Martin Harris, whose ratings will be published in the next edition of The Yearbook. A hardback, it is set to go on sale in time for the new season and is priced at £30 plus £3.80 p&p. Contents include full results from last season, profiles of every horse who ran, plus a compilation of Nick Wilson’s On The Clock, a time-based analysis of races.
Six-year-old Its On The Line (pictured above on right), rated 135, has become another endorsement for the training skills of Grand National-winning trainer Emmet Mullins. He saddled the son of Presenting to finish placed in three point-to-points before Christmas last year, but he then stepped up to win two open races before finishing second to Premier Magic in Cheltenham’s St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase. He fell at Aintree in the Randox Foxhunters’ Chase won by Famous Clermont, won the Champion Hunters’ Chase at Punchestown, but was then second to Rocky’s Howya in a point-to-point.
Next on Harris’s list of six-year-olds is Fairly Famous (121), who was unbeaten in five races, including a Cheltenham hunters’ chase, for Tom Ellis, followed by the David Dennis-trained Brave Starlight (119), who was second to Sine Nomine at Stratford, and Viroflay (119) who won Larkhill’s Coronation Cup for Georgina Nicholls’ stable.
Viroflay (check colours), trained by Georgina Nicholls and ridden by daughter Olive, is rated 119 (Ce)
Rocky’s Howya (131) is a seven-year-old son of Ask who finished the season in the care of Declan Queally. He too had a busy season, winning five point-to-points for James Dullea before joining Queally and finishing fourth to Premier Magic at Cheltenham. He subsequently won three more point-to-points, but was surprisingly beaten by 15-year-old Fr Humphrey (20/1) in a race at Dromahane.
Fix At All (121) and Macklin (121) are next on Harris’s list of seven-year-olds. The Michael Scudamore-trained Fix At All won two hunters’ chases at Ludlow before finishing second to Paloma Blue at Cheltenham’s evening meeting, while Macklin emerged as a handy new horse for owner John Studd, whose Cheltenham Festival winner Porlock Bay has been retired. Trained by Will Biddick, Macklin won three point-to-points, beating Paloma Blue on one occasion, but was caught out by the experienced Sykes – who was twice his age – in a match on softening ground at South Hill.
Who is the top-rated pointer or hunter chaser of any age from the 2022/23 season? Is it Premier Magic who won at Cheltenham, Aintree winner Famous Clermont, Secret Investor who won at Stratford, or does Irish hunter Billaway retain the top spot despite falling at Cheltenham? Or is it none of the above? All is revealed here tomorrow when Martin Harris will give his reasons for the top ratings.