Horses to Look out for in 2022/23 Jumps Season

The 2022/23 National Hunt season at Exeter begins in October, with racing going all the way through until April. The Haldon Gold Cup in November is the feature fixture at the Devon racecourse, and it is likely to include several Cheltenham Festival hopefuls.

Here is a look at some horses to look out for ahead of the new jumps season in the UK.

Constitution Hill

Novice hurdler Constitution Hill finished the 2021/22 campaign with an official mark of 170, making him the highest-rated hurdler in the UK and Ireland. He blew his rivals away in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and he looks to have a very bright future.

Nicky Henderson’s runner is set to feature in the Champion Hurdle next March and he is sure to be one of the racing tips tomorrow for the Festival. He tops the ante-post betting for the Championship contest at 6/4, despite only having three runs under Rules.

The five-year-old is likely to get even better next season with more experience on the track. A clash with defending champion Honeysuckle in the 2023 Champion Hurdle looks set to be one of the highlights of the week at the Gloucestershire course.

L’Homme Pressé

Venetia Williams’ chaser L’Homme Pressé made his chase debut at Exeter last season, scoring by six lengths in what was an impressive performance. He later went on to prevail in four other races, including the Group One Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

The only defeat of L’Homme Pressé’s campaign last year came at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase. That performance can be forgiven, as it was his sixth appearance of the season, and it was just weeks after his Cheltenham Festival triumph.

Williams’ runner is likely to feature in all the leading 3m+ chases next season, including the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase, and Cheltenham Gold Cup. His connections will have a lot of confidence about the latter, as he powered up the hill at Prestbury Park in the novice race last March.

Eldorado Allen

Last season’s Haldon Gold Cup was one of the strongest renewals of the 2m1½f Grade Two contest in recent years. It was won by Eldorado Allen, who got the better of Hitman by a length in the closing stages at Exeter.

Joe Tizzard’s chaser is likely to return to Devon to defend his crown in the race. The last horse to prevail in back-to-back runnings of the Exeter feature was Edredon Bleu in 2003. 

The eight-year-old showed his success at Exeter was no fluke when he landed another Grade Two contest at Newbury back in February. He scored in the Denman Chase, finishing ahead of Royale Pagaille and Clan Des Obeaux respectively.

Eldorado Allen was no match for Allaho in the Ryanair Chase at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, however, this could be the season he is victorious at the highest level, as he has run well in Grade One races before.

For a full list of the fixtures at Exeter Racecourse in the 2022/23 season, visit the racecourse’s official website.