Three Bumper Winners to Follow: 'Tom Cooper has two very exciting bumper horses' It's very early in the season with many potential stars yet to see the racecourse, but we have witnessed a few highly promising bumper horses already this term, and here we will highlight three who could be worth following for the big festivals in Ireland and Britain. Surprisingly, it's one of the smaller yards in Ireland that has thrown a spanner in the works as Thomas Cooper has two very exciting bumper horses to go to war with this season. Let's dive straight into it. 1. Celestial Tune One of the most exciting bumper horses to come out of Ireland so far this season is Tom Cooper's Celestial Tune. Purchased for 25,000 euros as a foal, Bryan Cooper then purchased the daughter of Maxios for 80,000 euros at three. Diving into her pedigree, she is a half-sister to bumper winner Katie Connell. Her dam was a French 2m2f Listed hurdle winner, and is a half-sister to French/Italian 2m-2m2f hurdle/chase winner Fils A Papa, out of a Group-placed 1m1f-1m4f winner. Celestial Tune's first outing was at Navan last season and she was a respectable fourth, before finishing second to the highly regarded Bud Fox in a Punchestown bumper in April. She looked a different proposition on her return to action at Listowel in September when battering her rivals into submission, and she was last seen easily landing a Listed Cheltenham bumper under Sean Bowen in November. She made all the running that day and looks like an exciting prospect. 2. Saint Clovis On the same weekend that Celestial Tune won at Cheltenham's November meeting, Tom Cooper fired out another exciting type in the form of Saint Clovis, so it will be interesting to see what paths they both take this season. Bought for 22,000 euros as a three-year-old, he is a half-brother to French 2m3f hurdle winner Saint Moliere. His dam was a French 2m1f chase winner, and a half-sister to French 2m1f chase winner Libermont. Third on his debut at Galway in July, Saint Clovis stepped up on that when runner-up at Listowel's Harvest festival in September and he looked really smart when making all at Cheltenham in Listed grade. He had Bud Fox behind in third that day. 3. It's Only A Game Martin Brassil is one of the shrewdest operators in racing and It's Only A Game is certainly one to keep onside as the season progresses. A clear second of 20 on his debut at Punchestown in May, he came from the rear to win going away at the same track on his return last month and the Cheltenham Champion Bumper could be a perfect test for him. Picked up for a hefty 160,000 euros at three, he's a half-brother to French 2m1f/2m3f hurdle winner Marta Kap, and his dam was a French 2m1f-2m2f hurdle/chase winner, who is a half-sister to French 2m1f Listed hurdle winner Cutting Edge.
