Why 'NH Junior Hurdles' are a great way to develop young jumpers

By Bryan Mayoh

Background

For years British and Irish-bred horses have regularly been beaten by French-breds in the top tests for Jumps racehorses, causing their breeders to agonise about the source of French breeding supremacy. More recently, British-trained horses have been outdone by Irish-trained horses at Cheltenham and Aintree; and, whilst some wondered at the superiority of Irish trainers, many British trainers blamed the effects of higher prize-money and greater competition in Irish racing.

However, both phenomena may have a common cause: it is not superior breeding or better training methods or a more competitive racing programme that gives horses from France and Ireland their advantage, but simply the way that Jumps horses are raised in these countries. What the French have been doing for years, and the Irish are increasingly practising nowadays, in racing Jumps horses earlier (as three-year-old or four-year-old hurdlers in France or four-year-old point-to-pointers in Ireland), is giving them major advantages in achieving top-level successes. Horses raised in this way peak earlier but sustain top-level performance at least as long (I have the evidence to prove it!), – and they also reach a greater level of performance.

Among French-bred horses that began racing over obstacles as three-year-olds are Kauto Star, Long Run, Al Boum Photo, A Plus Tard, Big Bucks, Master Minded, Neptune Collonges, Bristol de Mai, Clan Des Obeaux, Frodon, Min, Politilogue and Vautour. Among the ever-increasing number of successful graduates of Irish four-year-old point-to-points are Best Mate, War of Attrition, Imperial Commander, Native River, Florida Pearl, Faugheen, Special Tiara, Shishkin, Sir Gerhard, Minella Times, Noble Yeats and the British-breds Rule The World, Honeysuckle and Constitution Hill.

Today, horses developed in Britain face a twin threat, not only from French-breds coming via the 3-year-old and early four-year-old hurdles programmes in their native country, but increasingly from jumps horses that raced in Irish four-year-old point-to-points. To ‘level the playing field’ by starting our horses earlier, we have until now had only one option – and that a pretty poor one, to run NH-breds in three-year-old NH Flat races dominated by Flat-breds, followed by Juvenile Hurdles in which they often face experienced Flat horses or those that have run in French 3YO hurdles.

But now there is a new option – and the introduction of ‘NH Junior Hurdles’ in the 2022/23 season could be a long-term ‘game changer’ for British Jump racing and breeding.

Why NH Junior Hurdles will help British-trained horses

NH Junior Hurdles will have a special status in the Racing Programme, in some ways equivalent to NH Flat Races. They will be open to horses that have not previously run before 1 October of the season in question, nor previously started in a flat race (other than a NHF race), or more than three hurdle races. Accordingly, horses can run in a maximum of four NH Junior Hurdles, there being a penalty structure for previous hurdles wins.

In the 2022/23 season 10 NH Junior Hurdle races will be run for three-year-olds between mid-October and the end of December (some being any sex and some fillies only),and a similar number for four-year-olds from January to late April, all at Classes 2 to 4 under WFA terms. Wins by British-bred fillies nominated to GBB (NH), will generate bonuses just as they would for Novice Hurdles (£20,000 for GB-sired fillies winning fillies only races and £10,000 for those winning any sex races). A key advantage of NH Junior Hurdles is that wins in these races will not preclude winners from competing in Novice Hurdles during the following season, just as for NH Flat races.

Ideally, potential candidates for NH Junior Hurdles will be broken, schooled and pre-trained as two-year-olds, before going into full training as three-year-olds. Accordingly, sales of two-year-old NH prospects are likely to become an increasing feature of the sales programme, such as those to be held by Goffs UK later this year. However, this being the first year of the NH Junior Hurdles programme, it is entirely possible that some initial winners are fillies still with their breeders, or three-year-old stores now being prepared for the May and June Store sales. Some may even be unraced Flat-bred horses with the potential to succeed over obstacles. Given that all such horses should have been well handled, it should be perfectly possible to get many ready to race in NH Junior Hurdles later this year or early next.

Whatever their source, the potential of these horses will be enhanced by early jumping education and by racing over obstacles. The prospects of British-trained jumps horses will be boosted when NH Junior Hurdles are viewed as an important element of their development programme, just as are 3-year-old hurdles in France and four-year-old point-to-points in Ireland. Right now, ambitious trainers have a choice. They can: (1) find owners able to buy horses that have shown ability in French three-year-old hurdle races or Irish four-year-old point-to-points; (2) carry on as before, smiling through gritted teeth when they lose to such horses; or (3) use NH Junior Hurdles to develop their future stars.