Major Frost — The Winter Jumps

Major Frost in a peaked cap and crimson scarf on a frosty morning, a steeplechaser clearing a fence behind him
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I. Who I am

Twenty years riding to hounds. Twenty more walking every jumps course in Britain and Ireland.

Cavalry first, then twenty seasons in the hunting field across three counties. You learn a great deal about a horse from the back of one, going into a blackthorn hedge on a wet January afternoon. Chiefly, you learn which ones want to jump and which ones are merely being asked to.

When the knees gave out I took to walking the courses instead. Every jumps track in Britain and Ireland, most of them twice, a good many of them in sideways rain. Where the ground holds and where it drains. Which uphill finishes find out the horses that have been kidding. Which fences catch the careless.

“A horse that does not jump well does not win on soft ground in November.”

I write it down now because a chap in the bar at a winter meeting asked me to, and I found I rather liked being held to it. Every selection goes out before the first race, in writing, with the reason attached and the price I want.

What I will not do: tip on the Flat, pad the card to look busy, or pretend a horse is better than it is. When the jumps racing that day is not worth the name, you get two lines telling you so, and your money stays in your pocket. That is not a failure of duty. That is the duty.

— The Major

II. A morning with the Major

Order of the day.

  1. The going reports

    Every jumps meeting's overnight going, then the forecast. The ground decides half the argument before anything else is looked at.

  2. Walking the cards

    Hurdles, chases and bumpers. The Flat cards are turned over unread. I want a sound jumper, on ground it likes, over a trip it will see out.

  3. Non-runners and yard news

    Who has come out overnight. Which yards are firing this month, and which are still sending them out half-fit.

  4. Decision

    Three at most. Often one. Some mornings none, and I say so plainly.

  5. The dispatch lands

    In your inbox with horse, race, price, stake and my reasoning — hours before the first jumps race, while the early prices are still about.

  6. Off they go

    First race of the afternoon, give or take. Every result is settled in the open that evening.

III. The method, explained

Five questions, asked in the same order, every morning.

A jumps race is a long examination with obstacles in it. Most horses fail one paper or another. I only want the ones that can pass all five.

i

Can it jump?

Slick and accurate, or clumsy and lucky. I watch for both, and forgive neither.

ii

Will it stay?

Stepping up in trip is fine if the pedigree says so. Most do not read the pedigree.

iii

The ground?

Some horses swim in heavy going. Some drown. The form book tells you which.

iv

Is it fit?

Certain yards have them spot on first time out in the autumn. Certain yards never do.

v

This course?

Stiff tracks, sharp tracks, uphill finishes. Horses for courses is not a cliché. A horse that has won round a track often goes well there again.

Reading the ground

The official going, softest to firmest, and what each one does to a jumps race.

Where most of my winter is spent

Heavy

A test of stamina and courage. Many hate it. The few who relish it are worth waiting for.

Soft

Proper winter jumps ground. Jumping and staying matter more than raw speed.

Good to soft

The fairest examination. Class usually tells.

Good

Quicker types come into it. Sloppy jumpers get found out at speed.

Good to firm

Rare in midwinter. Several yards will not risk their horses on it.

Four hours of homework, delivered by half past eight.

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IV. How I pick

Standing orders.

  1. Jumps racing only

    Hurdles, chases and bumpers. No Flat racing, no all-weather, no exceptions.

  2. Jumping comes first

    However well handicapped, a horse that makes mistakes is left out.

  3. Each way only in fields of eight or more

    Fewer runners and the place terms are not worth paying for. Then it is win only.

  4. No padding

    Nought to three selections, one per race, a stake of one or two points. A blank morning is a perfectly good morning.

V. A worked example

What a morning note looks like — and the sums behind it.

Example only · not a tip · no result claimed

HARTWELL COMMON

2.25 · novices' chase · 9 runners · 1 point each way @ 8/1

Jumps like a stag and stays every yard of three miles. The rain came overnight, which is exactly what he wants. Won over this course last winter.

What worries me: first run since April, and his yard do not always have them ready early. Stake kept to one point for that reason.

Made-up horse, made-up race. It shows the format, nothing more.

How an each-way bet pays

One point each way is two bets: one point to win, one point to place. So the total stake is two points. In a nine-runner race the place usually pays a fifth of the odds, for the first three.

If he…Back to you
Wins9 + 2.6 = 11.6 pts
Finishes 2nd or 3rd2.6 pts
Finishes 4th or worsenothing

That is 9.6 points up on a win, 0.6 points up on a place, and two points lost otherwise. Place terms vary with field size and race type; I state them when they matter.

VI. What you get

Terms of enlistment.

By 8.30am
One email every racing morning. National Hunt meetings in Britain and Ireland, through the winter season and beyond.
0 to 3
Selections a day. Horse, course, race time, the price to take, the stake in points, and whether it is win or each way.
The reasoning
A few straight lines on every horse — its jumping, trip, ground and fitness — and the one thing that worries me about it.
Blank days
When the jumps cards are thin or the ground has gone wrong, you get a short note saying there is no bet. No filler is ever sent to fill a gap.
The price
£9.99 for your first month (once per person), then £35 every 28 days. No contract. Cancel whenever you like.

VII. Questions

Asked in the bar, answered here.

When does the email arrive?

By 8.30am on racing days, to the address you use at checkout. If it is not in your inbox, check the spam folder once and mark it as safe.

What is a point, and how much should I stake?

A point is whatever unit you choose — £1, £5, £10. Pick an amount you are comfortable losing on every bet, and keep it the same. Most selections are one point; a two-point stake is reserved for the horses I like best.

Which bookmaker, and what if the price has moved?

I quote the best price genuinely available when I write. Use any bookmaker you like. If the price has shortened a long way, use your judgement — I would rather you left it than took a price I would not take myself.

What happens on a no-bet day?

You get a short note saying so, and why. The Flat is never used to fill the gap.

Why is the first month £9.99?

It is an introductory price for new members, once per person. After that it is £35 every 28 days, and you may cancel at any time.

How do I cancel?

Any time, from your PayPal account. No notice period and no questions asked.

Is there a record?

It starts from day one. Every selection is published with its price and stake, and settled in the open, win or lose. Nothing is added afterwards.

VIII. Join the Major

£9.99 first month (once per person), then £35 every 28 days · cancel any time
Enlist — £9.99
Secure checkout by PayPal · debit or credit card

My record starts from day one. Every bet is published and settled in the open, win or lose. Nothing is hidden and nothing is added afterwards.

£9.99first month (once per person), then £35
Enlist — £9.99