Eye Catchers October 2025

Fleur In The Park  – 1st in 4.03 Wexford 27/10/25

Fleur In The Park won nicely at Wexford easily accounting for Tullyhill. It was a big jump forward following his second place at Gowran behind Taponthego. Andy Slattery explained that he was only 80% fit at Gowran and much straighter here.

Fleur In the Park jumps like a natural chaser and could remain around two miles over jumps before stepping up to two and a half miles next spring. Andy said after this win he could travel to Ascot where there are lots of fences to be jumped. Keep an eye on this horse if travelling over to the UK.

Crest of Fortune  – 2nd in 1.10 Cheltenham 25/10/25

Crest of Fortune stayed on gamely to take second place behind Zurich over two and half miles. The winner had a run already under his belt while Crest of Fortune looked like a horse that would come on plenty for his first run of the season. He was flat to the boards down the hill in mid field before coming home well up the hill.

Crest of Fortune is crying out for three miles over fences. He finished third on his first run over three miles at the Aintree Festival in the grade 1 Sefton novices hurdle. Anthony Honeyball says he didn’t hurdle great so he can go much higher in the ratings over fences having jumped well here.

French Ship – 1st in 1.15 Cheltenham 24/10/25

French Ship is a horse on the up as he showed to win at the Cheltenham Showcase meeting. He hit the front much too soon travelling so well and wandered around showing greenness after the final hurdle. I liked that he hurdled well here showing no ill effects from his fall in the Silver Trophy handicap hurdle at Chepstown.

He could drop in distance for a truly run Greatwood hurdle at the November meeting. Long term he looks a good two and a half miler with the Coral Cup at the 2026 Festival, a long term goal for connections.

Wendigo – 2nd in 1.00 Worcester 22/10/25

Wendigo is an exciting novice chaser with Jamie Snowden. He won two bumpers and enjoyed a very good novice hurdle campaign last season. He won or placed in all his first four runs over hurdles before heading to the Albert Bartlett hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Wendigo finished fifth in the Albert Bartlett, however clipped heels after the second last hurdle and was lucky to stay up! He showed up well on his first chase run this season when beaten a head by Wade Out on good ground. Wendigo is going to improve massively once upped in distance to three miles on winter ground.

Weveallbeencaught – 2nd in 4.15 Limerick 19/10/25

Eric McNamara enjoyed a great result in the Munster National. He trained the winner French Dynamite as well as the second home, Weveallbeencaught. I think the horse to take from the race is the second who looks to have been turned around since moving to McNamara from Nigel Twiston-Davies.

He’s only eight years old and likes nice ground. The overnight rain didn’t help at Limerick against this better class stablemate. Weveallbeencaught was raised five pounds from Limerick to a mark of 137. A race like the Paddy Power Handicap Chase over Christmas at Leopardstown would suit on yielding or better ground.

Gameball – 1st in 1.55 Punchestown 15/10/25

Gameball is a horse we are going to hear much more about this season. He bolted up in a Ballinrobe bumper in July on good ground. Basil Holian stepped in to buy the horse privately and send him to Henry De Bromhead.

Basil got a quick return on his investment as Gameball showed a good turn of foot even with a mistake over the final hurdle to win his maiden hurdle by six lengths at Punchestown. This is a talented horse with Henry mentioning a race like the Royal Bond Hurdle (Grade 2) as his next target. It’s not often that Henry would run a novice in a Grade 2 on his second run over hurdles!

Il Ridoto – 2nd in 3.52 Chepstow 12/10/25

Paul Nicholls was delighted with how well Il Ridoto ran on his first run of this season. He jumped and travelled great looking, a big danger to Saint Segal coming to the last fence. Il Ridoto got in tight and lost some ground to Saint Segal who held on well.

The handicapper has left Il Ridoto on a mark of 142 which is fair. Il Ridoto goes well at Cheltenham and is best early in the season. The obvious target is to go back and try to win the Paddy Power Gold Cup handicap chase again in a few weeks time.

Celtic Dino – 1st in 3.17 Chepstow 12/10/25

Celtic Dino won the Welsh Champion Hurdle nicely carrying top weight. He led two out and hit the line strongly. Celtic Dino loves good ground and it was on the quick side at Chepstow. This win was his third win from six hurdle runs.

The handicapper has upped him four pounds which is fair. This improving six year old looks a player for the Greatwood hurdle at the Cheltenham November meeting if getting nice ground. A proper two mile handicapper.

Sticktotheplan – 1st in 3.43 Chepstow 10/10/25

Sticktotheplan is a horse going places judged by the manner of his win in the Grade 2 Persian War Novices hurdle at Chepstow. This horse failed to land a blow in three bumpers but is a different beast over hurdles. It has taken the horse and his past trainer a while to figure each other out. The key to his improvement such as when he bolted up at the Galway Festival is riding him off the pace and making him settle.

Following his Galway Festival win in a novice hurdle he was sold and sent to trainer Olly Murphy. You would have to love how he travelled, jumped and quickened on fastish ground to defy a penalty and win cosily at Chepstow. He could make up into a Coral Cup horse at the next Cheltenham Festival.