My tips for this season and a look back at our Flat Twelve

There are Flat people and there are jumping people. People like the late Captain Tim Forster, trainer of three Grand National winners, Ben Nevis, Well to Do and Last Suspect, who once declared: ‘One day I’m going to stand for Parliament. If I get in my first Bill will be about abolishing Flat racing and the second about doing away with hurdlers.’ People like Trevor Hemmings, the billionaire with the flat cap whose later life became a quest for Grand National winners in his green and yellow quartered colours, a quest in which he succeeded with Hedgehunter, Ballabriggs and Many Clouds. Sadly the kindest of owners died last month and won’t see his appropriately named Cloth Cap campaigned again for the National. Then there is J.P. McManus, jump racing’s biggest benefactor, who laid out no less than £570,000 for the juvenile hurdler Jonbon. Yes, that’s for a jumper with no stud fees to follow his career. It will be intriguing to see what Nicky Henderson can do with Jonbon and with Mike Grech’s Gallyhill, who set his owner back a mere £450,000 and whom the trainer describes as ‘an out and out three-mile chaser’.

A 23-5 trouncing by the Irish at this year’s Cheltenham Festival led to much soul-searching among English trainers. Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and Gordon Elliott will challenge again for the top English prizes but Paul Nicholls has already responded the best way by sending Frodon and Bryony Frost over to Down Royal for the Champion Chase, the first Grade One of the season, to out-battle de Bromhead’s Gold Cup winner Minella Indo and Elliott’s Grand National hope Galvin in what may turn out to have been the gutsiest race of the season.