'Big Season On The Cards' - Five JP McManus Dark Horses To Follow JP McManus is jump racing's most prominent and successful owner, and his familiar green & gold silks can be seen on every racecourse in Britain and Ireland. He's had another busy summer buying plenty of promising horses and is well set for another massive season. The likes of Inothewayurthinkin and Fact To File will grab the headlines but we've picked out five McManus-owned dark horses who could be set for a big season. Harry Lowes The Dan Skelton yard goes from strength to strength and grows with every passing season. They have already made a good start during the autumn period and Harry Lowes managed to win on his stable debut at Exeter earlier this week. He was purchased privately after winning an Irish point and made a good impression on his first start under rules. It remains to be seen whether he will develop into a graded performer, but connections are highly adept at preparing horses for major handicap targets. Kawaboomga French import Kawaboomga won a bumper at Limoges and finished third over hurdles for previous connections and he bumped into Kopek Des Bordes when runner-up on stable debut. Clearly that's a high level of form and Kawaboomga remains lightly raced. He went one better in a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle in January and the runner-up was Supreme Novices' second William Munny. There should be loads more to come from this horse and it'll be interesting to see how high he can go. Sa Majeste Sa Majeste was well fancied for the Coral Cup back in 2024 but things didn't quite go to plan and he ran disappointingly in the end. This strong stayer won twice over fences last season and kept on well to finish third in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival. A bad mistake at the 14th effectively ended his chances in the Irish Grand National but it's easy to forgive that effort. He could be one to watch in the better staying handicap chases throughout the season and definitely has a decent pot in him. Inthepocket Henry de Bromhead's Inthepocket is fairly fragile and has had several injury problems over the years. The son of Blue Bresil is very talented, however, and if he stays in one piece, a big season could be on the cards. He wasn't far from the top of the tree as a novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago and managed to win a Grade 1 at Aintree on his final start of the campaign. McManus' gelding was a faller at Naas last time but is capable of winning some nice races this season. Manlaga One for Nicky Henderson, Manlaga was another purchased from France after winning over hurdles back in March. That form has worked out rather well and the horse who finished fourth has won a couple of Grade 3 races since. Henderson has been very complimentary of this filly and she's expected to be one of the better juvenile hurdlers in Britain this year. She does have a penalty now, but that won't be a problem if she becomes a Grade 1 performer.
