Taking out a licence in 1978, Cheltenham-based Kim Bailey achieved every trainer's dream when saddling Mr Frisk to claim the 1990 edition of the Aintree Grand National. Bailey’s second golden year arrived in 1995 as Master Oats and Alderbrook took the Cheltenham Festival by storm to land the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle.
Bailey may not have quite hit such spectacular heights since, but following a dip in the mid-2000s, he rebounded to pick up 30 or more winners in 13 of the past 14 seasons. Keeping up the pace with just under £500,000 in prize money in 2023/24, the yard is already closing in on £200,000 in the current season.
That successful start comes against a background of change at Thorndale Farm. Stable star First Flow heads off into a well-earned retirement, but there will soon be a new name on the licence, with long-time assistant Mat Nicholls set to join Bailey as joint trainer.
A stable of 57 horses may be a little smaller than the British and Irish mega yards but contains a host of intriguing contenders. Here, we pick out the flagbearers for the season ahead and the runners contained within our horse tracker.
Stable Star
Chianti Classico
This seven-year-old son of Shantou is the natural successor to fill the void left by First Flow. Winning three of four starts on his way to a 133 hurdles mark, he has scaled new heights over fences. Only once outside of the first two in six chase outings, he handed Bailey a Cheltenham Festival success when powering 4½l clear in the Ultima Handicap Chase. Returning with a tough victory in the Sodexo Live! Gold Cup at Sandown, he may be aimed at the Grand National this season.
Five for the Horse Tracker
Chianti Classico stands out a mile as the current stable star, but he may not be easy to place off a mark of 157. However, there are no shortage of contenders who should do their bit to keep the win-o-meter ticking over, with the following five, in particular, catching our eye.
- Court In A Storm – By Court Cave and out of the Listed winning mare Aimigayle, this five-year-old is bred to be decent. A promising second on his sole outing last season, he returned with a nine-length romp in a bumper at Ludlow. With a couple of Point-to-Point winners in behind that day, the form looks above average, and he may improve further when tackling hurdles.
- Phantom Getaway – This son of Getaway is no superstar but is potentially one of the more well-handicapped runners in the yard. Climbing to a hurdles mark of 129, nothing went right last year, with his 2023/24 campaign ending with pulled-up efforts at Wetherby and Uttoxeter. However, he showed much more sparkle on his first run following a wind operation in November. Now down to a chase rating of 111, he looks primed to strike on his favoured soft ground.
- The Kemble Brewery – Picking up a pair of bumper wins in his debut season, this son of Blue Bresil is now two from two in Novice Hurdle company this term. Given the ease of his most recent win at Ffos Las, a mark of 128 may underestimate him.
- Destroytheevidence – This looks like the horse most likely to follow in the footsteps of Chianti Classico and contest the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Impressing with his jumping in his first two chase outings, he is open to progress over 3m on good to soft or better ground.
- Thruthelookinglass – A slightly speculative inclusion, but this seven-year-old has hinted at promise if stepped up to staying trips. He has his issues, and soft ground didn’t suit him last year, but a mark of 111 gives him a fighting chance of landing a handicap or two.
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
Paul Harrison
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