Novice hurdlers stand out in 2012-13 Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications

• Sprinter Sacre tops the ratings on a figure of 188
• Chaser rated 8lb clear of Gold Cup hero Bobs W0rth

Chris Cook Guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 21 May 2013    

Jump racing has a collection of potential new star steeplechasers to sustain it in the post-Kauto Star era, according to ratings published on Tuesday. The sport can also take pleasure in a fine crop of novice hurdlers, promising high-quality action in the years to come.


The news comes from the 14th annual Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications, which offer handicap marks for the best horses that took part in the recently completed jumps season. Top of the heap is, of course, Sprinter Sacre, whose mark of 188 has been bettered only once in the short history of the Classifications, by Kauto Star (190) three years ago.


Kauto Star was top of the Classifications on three other occasions without quite reaching 188 and, as Sprinter Sacre is only seven years old, there must be a considerable chance that he could surpass the older horse's peak in time. He is 8lb ahead of his nearest contemporary, Bobs Worth (180), a stablemate at the Lambourn yard of Nicky Henderson, who benefited from the pair's exploits by recovering the champion trainer's crown after a gap of 26 years.


Bobs Worth is in turn 7lb ahead of the next best chasers, Silviniaco Conti and Sir Des Champs. Those three were involved in a thrilling Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, as was Long Run (171).


In total, six staying steeplechasers from the latest season achieved ratings of 170 or over, the remaining two being First Lieutenant and Tidal Bay. That compares with just two, Kauto Star and Long Run, in the previous season and it is especially encouraging for fans of the sport that, of the six, only Tidal Bay is older than eight.


While those names may recur in forthcoming Gold Cups, there is no evident sign of competition for Sprinter Sacre, who has been kept to shorter distances so far. His nearest rival at two and a half miles or shorter is Cue Card (172), more than a stone below him, while the best novice, Simonsig (162), another from Henderson's yard, has a further 10lb to find. That still makes Simonsig the best novice since Gloria Victis (166) in 2000 and puts him 1lb ahead of Denman's rating as a novice chaser six years ago.


Hurricane Fly (175) tops the hurdles ratings for a third consecutive year, achieving a new career high rating at the age of nine, 5lb ahead of the mark he shared with Rock On Ruby last year. Rock On Ruby remains on 170, while Big Buck's (174) is the only other hurdler above 169.


Impressively, eight novice hurdlers are rated above 155, compared to one in the previous season and none in either of the previous two. They are headed by The New One (165), the second-best novice hurdler in the history of the Classifications, behind only Iris's Gift a decade ago.


Our Conor (161) becomes the highest rated juvenile hurdler in the history of the Classifications, beating the previous holder, Katchit, by 2lb. Katchit went on to win the following season's Champion Hurdle. Our Conor, who bolted up by 15 lengths in the Triumph Hurdle in March, is 5-1 joint-favourite for next year's Champion with Hurricane Fly.