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Order of Merit – The Contenders
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| VOY POR USTEDES
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Trainer: Alan King
Regular Jockey: Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton
Owner: Sir Robert Ogden
Last year’s Order of Merit Champion will be out to retain his crown.
One of his greatest assets in this competition is his versatility – he can pick up points in races over 2m to 3m. He seems to be extraordinarily tough as well; since March 2004 he has never finished out of the first four (and in fact, he’s only had one third and one fourth in that time – the rest of the time he’s never been out of the first two!).
He’s likely to be one of the favourites for this season’s competition, and rightly so.
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| KAUTO STAR
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Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Regular Jockey: Ruby Walsh
Owner: Clive Smith
Twice a winner of this competition, Kauto Star is a horse in a lifetime.
Three King Georges, two Gold Cups, two Tingle Creek Chases, two Betfair Chases...most trainers never achieve that kind of record, never mind one horse!
However, although he is undoubtedly one of the all time greats, he may not be seen out regularly enough (according to his trainer) this season to quite accumulate the points necessary to win the Order of Merit.
He could well go unbeaten this season, but that might not be enough... |
| BIG BUCK'S
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Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Regular Jockey: Ruby Walsh
Owner: The Stewart Family
Last season’s World Hurdle hero, Big Buck's rather found his way into that race accidentally via his run at Newbury in the Hennessey Gold Cup, where his jumping of fences (not for the first time) left a bit to be desired.
However, make no mistake, this horse has an engine and he stamped his authority as the best staying hurdler in training at Aintree when romping away with the Liverpool Hurdle.
This horse could pick up plenty of points en route to the Cheltenham Festival where he is already a short price to defend his World Hurdle Crown, and he could be a shrewd bet for the Order of Merit this year. |
| BINOCULAR
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Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Regular Jockey: A P McCoy
Owner: J P McManus
A horse with so much potential (and so much expectation!) for this season, Binocular could be many people’s idea of this years Champion Hurdle winner.
He travels so well in his races, and jumps with such enthusiasm – accelerating into his hurdles with his ears pricked – that he has rapidly become a popular horse.
If he continues his ultra-progressive curve, he will be a tough horse to beat this season, particularly on flatter tracks that have an emphasis on speed.
How often he takes to the track remains to be seen, but he’s a class act that’s sure to pick up plenty of points during the course of the season. |
| MADISON DU BERLAIS
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Trainer: David Pipe
Regular Jockey: Tom Scudamore
Owner: Roger Stanley and Yvonne Reynolds
Winner of last year’s Hennessey Gold Cup and the totesport Bowl Chase at Aintree, he is also one of very few horses that can claim to have beaten Denman over fences.
He’s a good horse – particularly on a flat track – who really came into his own last season, and he could be picking up plenty of points throughout the course of the competition.
His trainer, David Pipe, has come close to picking up the Order of Merit before with Lough Derg, and Madison du Berlais could well be the one to bring home the crown for him this year. |
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