Jump Season Preview: Key Jockey and Trainer to Watch Out For We’re deep into September now which means the Flat turf season will soon be coming to an end and the jumpers will begin to take over. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend look set to dominate in Ireland again and they are so far ahead of everyone that no-one can produce a significant and sustained challenge. They can’t win every race however, and there are plenty of big prizes up for grabs, so with that in mind, we’ve picked out a trainer and jockey to follow over the course of the season. The trainer in question gets better every year and an important retirement has opened up a significant number of opportunities for the rider we think you should look out for. Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe Last season was a productive one for Darragh O'Keeffe as he finished with a total of 60 winners from his 584 rides. That impressive performance earned him a fourth-place finish in the Jockeys’ Championship and there’s no shame in finishing behind Keith Donoghue, Sam Ewing and Paul Townend, who all had some significant ammunition. One thing that could make a big difference is that he won’t be sharing out his rides for regular boss Henry de Bromhead with the now retired Rachael Blackmore this season. O’Keeffe has some big shoes to fill as a result but he will relish the opportunities to thrive in the big races. Last season was probably a little underwhelming for the De Bromhead yard but the trainer still managed to claim a couple of Cheltenham Festival wins. A handler of his exceptional standard is likely to bounce back with a vengeance and O’Keeffe will be the main beneficiary over the course of the campaign. The County Cork-born jockey has made a flying start to the season and he sits at the top of the tree with 37 winners. There’s a sizable gap between him and the next rider on the list and he’s surely going to surpass last season’s total. Trainer: Gavin Cromwell Gavin Cromwell just keeps getting better and better as a trainer and he had another exceptional campaign last time around. Finishing third in the Trainers’ Championship, only Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins ended up ahead of him. Henry de Bromhead is firmly established as one of Ireland’s best Jumps trainers so finishing above him in the championship is an exceptional achievement. This season could be another big one for Cromwell, who sits third in the table once again. There are few trainers better at targeting a race than Cromwell and his ability to keep winning big handicaps is an excellent trait to have. Obviously it’s harder to mop up in the graded races with Willie Mullins around but he has his fair share of winners in that sphere too. The big name that we’re all looking forward to seeing is Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin. He achieved the impossible and managed to get the better of Galopin Des Champs at Cheltenham and there could be more to come from the seven-year-old.
