As I write this year’s first Road To The Champion Bumper bulletin, we are still just days from learning of the passing of Sir Johnny Weatherby, and it would have been remiss of me not to begin the series by honouring his legacy.

Personally, I have known Johnny for around 10 years and always found him a kind, proud and humble man, who always had time to talk to his staff – be it about racing, or football in our case – and given Weatherbys’ longstanding relationship with the Champion Bumper, day two of the Cheltenham Festival was an important date in his calendar. Thoughts at this difficult time are very much with his immediate family, as well as his close friends and colleagues, many of whom will have known him for a lot longer than I had the pleasure of.

The desperately sad news broke on Friday and fittingly, jockeys at Ascot – where Johnny served as Her Majesty’s Representative between 2011 and 2020, and was also racecourse Chairman between 2008 and 2018 – wore black armbands. The concluding race on the card was the Listed King Edward VII Ascot Membership Open National Hunt Flat Race, which was won by the Chris Gordon-trained Bass Hunter, who shot to the head of the ante-post market for the Champion Bumper.

An Irish Point-to-Point winner at the third time of asking, the five-year-old son of Authorized burst onto the scene under Rules with a dominant display at Newbury in early November, where he raced enthusiastically and made all to beat a subsequent hurdles winner with ease. Similar tactics were deployed at Ascot and despite again racing keenly, he appeared to have matters in hand when stretching clear around the home bend. Drifting to the nearside rail, he idled/tired late on and his lead was eroded in the final half-furlong, eventually crossing the line just a length clear.

Post race, his trainer stated, “Cheltenham and Aintree (the Grade 2 also sponsored by Weatherbys, of course) will be considered, but for him to win at those sorts of tracks, he’ll need to settle down.” – I would echo the sentiment, despite him being as short as 12/1 favourite in a place. There is, however, no denying that he is a hugely talented individual, but I suspect that he will need to channel his eagerness to please, if he is to succeed at Graded level this spring.

The other horse to have shot to prominence in recent weeks is Oh My Word, winner of the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Future Champions INH Flat Race at Navan, where he was 11 lengths too good for Gigginstown’s Panjandrum, who holds entries in maiden hurdles at Limerick on 28^th. Tracking the runner-up in a field of four, he eased to the front under Derek O’Connor and quickly put the race to bed once asked to go about his business.

A winner at the same track on debut, he stepped forward considerably on that piece of form on his second start, for trainer Thomas Cleary. A four-year-old by the increasingly popular National Hunt stallion, Poet’s Word, he has raced exclusively on testing ground to date and it will be interesting to see if he is given the chance to complete the hat-trick in the Grade 2 at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival. That would appeal as the obvious route to take and should give us a greater idea of his Cheltenham credentials, with that often a very strong contest.

Remaining in Ireland and It’s Only A Game was a horse who I was, personally, looking forward to this season (see his prominent position in Jumpers To Follow) and he duly made a winning return – when overcoming trouble in running – at Punchestown. A four-year-old son of another burgeoning sire, Goliath du Berlais, he represents Martin Brassil and Sean & Bernadine Mulryan, and is another who we could get to see at the DRF, as he wasn’t handed any Christmas entries last week. Given his age and the fact that we are now a few months into the season, I would expect him to remain in bumpers and it could be that he develops into a contender for Graded races come the spring.

Gavin Cromwell’s Bud Fox is one who has been entered at Leopardstown next week and he was much more prominent in the ante-post market for the Champion Bumper, prior to his reversal at Cheltenham in November. At the time, Cromwell was struggling for form and with the ground softer than ideal, his third placed effort can be marked up. His Point-to-Point success and his victory in a four-year-old bumper at this year’s Punchestown Festival both came on better ground and that Punchestown form reads extremely well, with the runner-up Celestial Tune winning at Listowel’s Harvest Festival and then in Listed company at Cheltenham.

The son of Walk In The Park holds an entry on Monday 29^th December and the relatively dry forecast in Dublin will be welcomed by his connections. He travelled really well at Cheltenham and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him bounce back to form, now that the stable seems to be in a much better place, and he could still re-emerge as a contender come March.

Willie Mullins has yet to really get going in the bumper division, but he is responsible for a trio of un-raced (under Rules) horses, who sit just behind the top two in the betting. Given that they both hold multiple entries at Leopardstown and Limerick next week, I thought that I would start with Arcadian Emperor and Heldam, the former now in the ownership of JP McManus, following a comfortable beating of Lisbane Park (won an Exeter novice hurdle for Joe Tizzard before finishing fourth behind the exciting Old Park Star at Cheltenham recently) at Lisronagh, where he looked to possess plenty of natural speed. He is one who I am quite excited about seeing in the coming days.

Heldam is a Doctor Dino chestnut who won on heavy ground over 2m4f at Punchestown, where he beat Lord Rouge, a maiden hurdle winner at Cork recently, for Gordon Elliott and Robcour. He will carry the silks of owner Bryan Drew and is another who could enter Champion Bumper calculations, should things go to plan over the Festive period.

And, the third to sit prominently in the ante-post market, despite having yet to see the track, is Wyoming Line, another whose Point-to-Point form reads well. He was 4 lengths too good for The Burren Man, who ran out a hugely impressive 9½-length winner at Carlisle recently, on his first start for the Harry Derham stable. Successful on decent ground at Dromahane, he is another son of Doctor Dino and is very much one to look forward to in the New Year.

Despite being similarly priced to his aforementioned stable companions, it is worth noting that the imposing Mighty Park – runner-up to Harry Lowes (winner on debut for Dan Skelton) – holds entries in three maiden hurdles next week. Therefore, it would appear as though a bumper campaign is unlikely, so don’t be tempted by the general 20/1. Even though he could switch to bumpers if beaten in a maiden hurdle (Irish rules allow this), he would not be eligible for a tilt at the Champion Bumper.

Nevertheless, I would expect one or two winners over the Festive period to put their heads above the water and mark themselves down as potential Cheltenham candidates. We are quite thin on the ground, in terms of genuine Champion Bumper contenders, at this stage, so expect plenty to change in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to you and your families,

Paul.