The Emmet Mullins-trained Its On The Line is the top point-to-pointer and hunter chaser on either side of the Irish Sea.
That is the conclusion of race reader and commentator Martin Harris whose annual ratings of horses who ran last season will be published in the forthcoming Point-to-Point & Hunter Chase Yearbook 2023/24. An annual publication it contains race results, profiles of every horse that ran and much more and is set to be published in mid-October, just ahead of the new season.
Meanwhile, the Planner, which provides details of meetings that will be run in the 2024/25 season and is a must for owners, trainers and riders, will be published later this month and is available for £50 perfect bound or £55 ring bound. Both publications will be available via the Shop on this website.
Harris has awarded the Mullins-trained Its On The Line a mark of 137, a rating he gave the seven-year-old following five of six wins during the season. A horse who has often looked a challenging ride, he beat high-class hunters Ferns Lock and Billaway narrowly in Ireland before heading to Cheltenham for the St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase where he finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length by the mare Sine Nomine, who received 7lb.
Ridden as usual by the outstanding Derek O’Connor, Its On The Line then won Aintree’s Randox Foxhunters’ Chase and Punchestown’s Champion Hunters’ Chase.
Two points behind on a mark of 135 are Famous Clermont from Chris Barber’s stable and the Paul Nicholls-trained Secret Investor. After a stop-start season which included being denied a run at Aintree due to the heavy ground, Famous Clermont has been dropped 11 points in the past 12 months having topped the ratings last year.
However, he completed the season on a high when running out a cosy winner of the ladies’ open hunters’ chase at Stratford’s evening meeting under Izzie Marshall. Secret Investor ran just twice, but gained easy wins at Fakenham and Newbury.
Three horses have been bracketed on 133, namely Cheltenham heroine Sine Nomine plus Bennys King, who was second in Aintree’s Foxhunters’ Chase, and Time Leader who was two places further back having finished third at Cheltenham.
Sine Nomine (John Dawson) who won at the Cheltenham Festival for trainer Fiona Needham (Tom Milburn)
Grace A Vous Enki, who won six races to become the leading pointer, has been awarded a mark of 131, the same rating as his Nickie Sheppard-trained stablemate Ihandaya.
*Next week a look at Harris’s leading four-, five- and six-year-olds