The jumps season builds gradually through the autumn before reaching its peak at the Cheltenham Festival next March, and several names from last season look well worth following as the new campaign gets underway.
Some are already established Festival winners, while others are just beginning to make their mark. Anyone checking horse racing results over the coming months will want to keep half an eye on how these five horses progress.
From a Gold Cup winner to a talented novice hurdler stepping up to fences for the first time, here are five horses well worth tracking through the winter months ahead.
Old Park Star
Nicky Henderson’s novice hurdler ended last season with victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, out-battling Sober Glory and Mydaddypaddy in a tight finish on the opening day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Henderson has already confirmed plans to send him chasing this season, with the Arkle Novices’ Chase in March the obvious long-term target. Several tipsters have already picked him out as one of the standout ante-post fancies for next year’s meeting.
Lossiemouth
Willie Mullins’ mare won last season’s Champion Hurdle by six and a half lengths, turning around previous defeats to Brighterdaysahead and taking her Cheltenham Festival record to five wins from five visits to the track. Still only seven years old, she banked over a million pounds for that Champion Hurdle victory and looks likely to defend her crown again this season, helped by the weight allowance mares receive against male rivals.
Gaelic Warrior
Mullins also trains last season’s Gold Cup winner, who was described by more than one commentator as imperious in that performance at Prestbury Park.
Early prices for a repeat win in March have already shortened into single figures, a reflection of how far clear connections believe he is of his rivals in the staying chase division, even allowing for the toll such a demanding race can take on a horse across the following season.
State Man
State Man missed the entirety of last season through injury after previously being one of the sport’s leading hurdlers, and his return this winter will be watched closely by anyone hoping he can rediscover his old form.
He will be approaching ten years of age by the time the next Cheltenham Festival arrives, but a fit State Man returning to form would still represent a significant boost to a Champion Hurdle division that lacked his class and experience last time round.
Sober Glory
Dan Skelton’s Sober Glory pushed Old Park Star all the way in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle before finishing second, and connections have indicated his plans for this season remain flexible between hurdles and a switch to fences.
His close proximity to the Supreme winner on that form suggests he could develop into a leading contender in whichever division he ends up targeting, making him one of the more intriguing names to watch as entries start to firm up.
These five horses represent a genuine mix of proven Festival winners and rising talent, and how each of them fares over the winter should offer an early guide to how next March’s Cheltenham Festival is likely to shape up, long before the ante-post markets settle into their final shape.