10 Jumps Horses To Follow In The 2026/27 National Hunt Season

2 hours ago

| BY Steve Mullington

Our horse racing betting expert Steve Mullington looks ahead to the 2026/27 jumps season, selecting his 10 National Hunt horses to follow throughout the campaign.

My first point of reference when I was asked to compile this list of ten horses to follow for the new jumps season, was the jump trainer’s table from last season.

National Hunt Horses To Follow 2026/27:

Albie Littlewood (Dan Skelton)
Witches Familiar (Willie Mullins)
Roccontier (Nicky Henderson)
No Drama This End (Paul Nicholls)
Scorpio Rising (Olly Murphy)
Matador St George (Ben Pauling)
Fairy Park (Joe Tizzard)
Kaka’s Cousin (Jonjo & AJ O’Neill)
Torneo (Jamie Snowden)
Un Sens A La Vie (Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies)

Dan Skelton won the 2025/26 British Jump Trainers’ Championship in the end with a record-breaking total of nearly £4.87 million in prize money, with Willie Mullins in second and so on and so forth.

I have therefore decided to nominate one horse to follow from the top ten trainers in last year’s Trainers’ Championship, hopeful that the list will produce plenty of winners along the way.

ALBIE LITTLEWOOD (Dan Skelton)

Owned by Skelton’s father, Nick Skelton, the seven-year-old gelding is viewed as a highly progressive type who could well go on to show plenty of potential.

After making his mark over smaller obstacles last season, Albie Littlewood will be switched to fences for a novice chasing campaign this autumn.

WITCHES FAMILIAR (Willie Mullins)

Unbeaten in both of her starts over hurdles since transferring to Ireland, Witches Familiar hails from a highly prestigious National Hunt family, as her dam is a half-sister to the legendary four-time World Hurdle champion, Big Buck’s.

All the indications are that she will probably be aimed at the Mares Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

ROCCONTIER (Nicky Henderson)

A four-year-old gelding by Frontiersman, Roccontier was an impressive 18-length winner of a junior hurdle at Market Rasen last season.

The form of his emphatic victory has already been boosted by subsequent winners and we could well find him lining up for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle next March if things go to plan.

NO DRAMA THIS END (Paul Nicholls)

After a Grade 1-winning hurdles campaign last season, this gelding is going novice chasing. The Grade 2 Esher Novices Chase at Sandown will be his first main target, then there will be plenty more next spring – he’s one to note in antepost horse racing odds.

SCORPIO RISING (Olly Murphy)

He looked decent throughout last term, recording an emphatic victory in the EBF Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final. He is widely expected to make a significant impact on the novice chase sphere in 2026/27.

MATADOR ST GEORGE (Ben Pauling)

He won his only bumper in style in late spring and appears to have plenty of natural gears. Ben Pauling will start him out over two miles and he’s expected to be a major force in the elite spring novice hurdles.

FAIRY PARK (Joe Tizzard)

Former Irish point-to-point winner Fairy Park placed third in the competitive renewal of the Nickel Coin Bumper at Aintree. Tizzard will give her an early autumn engagement before targeting some Listed affairs with her.

KAKA’S COUSIN (Jonjo & AJ O’Neill)

This exciting point-to-point recruit joins the Jackdaws Castle yard this season and he will go straight into the novice hurdling division this autumn.

TORNEO (Jamie Snowden)

Snowden sees this horse as his main contender for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November. His jumping is pretty perfect and there could be similar targets should he score at Prestbury Park.