'Plenty Of Progress To Come' - Five Gigginstown House Stud Horses To Follow This Season He may well have threatened to decommission his extensive arsenal of racing talent at one stage, but it seems as though the Michael O'Leary bandwagon is set to roll on in the world of National Hunt racing. Gigginstown House Stud's famous maroon and white silks have long been established as part of the racing scene in Ireland and at Britain's major festivals. Supremo O'Leary announced in late 2023 that he would phase out his National Hunt team over the next five years, but so far it hasn't really come to pass and there are plenty of new names joining some established stars on the Gigginstown roster with various trainers. Brighterdaysahead It will require some level of commitment for the members of the Brighterdaysahead fan club to sign up for renewal this season. The mare was touted as a star in the making over hurdles last season after she dethroned State Man in the Morgiana Hurdle in November and then thrashed the field by 30 lengths in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. The spring, however, brought two sobering efforts in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Mares' Champion at Punchestown where she disappointed bitterly. The Gordon Elliott-trained mare is going chasing this season, likely to be seen first during the Navan Racing Festival on November 15th and 16th, with the Pat Shiels Memorial Irish EBF Beginners Chase on the second afternoon being targeted. It went awry in the spring but there have been some good vibes from Cullentra lately and it could be too soon to hand in the membership card. Kalypso'chance Kalypso'chance was another for whom the spring of 2025 was underwhelming. He'd won both bumpers, at Punchestown and Navan, the latter in Listed company and was favourite for the Champion Bumper when the tapes went up in March. He was always handy but failed to pick up for Danny Gilligan late on and he then bombed out at Punchestown in late April. His hurdles career commenced at Down Royal this month where a mistake at the second last proved costly and he was well held in second spot. It's early days and, again, the Masked Marvel gelding is one that is well thought of by the Elliott team. Karniquet The split between O'Leary and Willie Mullins was seismic on the Irish jumps scene when it happened, but bridges have been rebuilt and, once more, the Gigginstown operation has foot soldiers in Closutton. Karniquet is one of those. A Tramore maiden hurdle winner 12 months ago, he ran well behind the likes of Kopek Des Bordes and Irancy in Graded events in the spring at Leopardstown, Cheltenham and Fairyhouse and still strikes as a horse with his best days ahead. The French import could make good inroads during his second season racing on these shores. Ballyfad Elliott loves to target Down Royal and this year was no different with the big November meeting in the north bringing plenty of success. Ballyfad won the bumper on day two, justifying favouritism under Josh Halford inside the final furlong to deny Philip Fenton's Lexington Wood, a rival with experience under his belt. It was an excellent start and there could be plenty of progress to come in bumpers this season from the promising once-raced point-to-point winner. Stellar Story One horse Elliott didn't get to run at Down Royal was Stellar Story as ground conditions weren't quite right. That the Cullentra handler was targeting the Grade 1 Champion Chase as an entry for the season spoke volumes. Winner of the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown on his fencing bow last season, Stellar Story came out on top in a brilliant scrap for that race, but he went 0-4 thereafter in high-class novice company over trips of three miles and more. He is now rated 154 and has potential to scale even higher in his second season over fences.
