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Early season form once again shows Meade is the man

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Simon Rowlands finds plenty to be impressed by in the performances of Ireland's premier jumps trainer

September and October often represents something of a phoney war in British jumps racing. Stable tours are conducted, plans are hatched and dreams are dreamt. But little actually happens.

That was the case again this year until the very end of October, when Kauto Star, Monet's Garden and Katchit turned up at Aintree. However, things have, as usual, been a bit livelier across the Irish Sea.

In particular, they have been livelier for one person. I doubt it needs me to tell you that Noel Meade is a good trainer. But it might have escaped your attention just how well the Navan-based trainer has been doing of late.

Here are a few facts: Meade has trained 32 winners from 108 runners over jumps since the beginning of September at a strike-rate of 29.6 per cent. Plenty of those winners have been at big prices: there have been winners at 25/1 and 10/1 twice, and level stakes on all of his runners have returned a staggering profit of more than 50%.

And that's at starting price. Imagine how well you would have done siding with his runners on Betfair!

His recent winners have generally been going off at shorter prices, but there has been no sign of a let-up. Meade banged in trebles twice in a week in the middle of October and again last Friday.

So, how should we profit from this knowledge? Well, other than giving his horses the utmost respect when they turn up at the course - there is plenty of racing, good and bad, in the offing in Ireland - a dabble on one of his charges in the ante-post markets makes plenty of appeal.

The horse I'm most interested in is Iktitaf, who has gone into my portfolio for the Champion Hurdle alongside Katchit.

Iktitaf is highly talented, was not far off favourite for the Champion Hurdle at one stage last season, was going as well as any when coming down three out in the race itself, and has had a breathing operation - intended to buck his tendency to find little in recent races - since he last ran.

This is a bet that could go either way. But, if the purple streak enjoyed by Iktitaf's stablemates is anything to go by, there is a very real possibility that the horse will run a belter somewhere or other in the next couple of months, whereupon his supporters should have the pleasant choice of sticking by a value bet or trading it out.

The aforementioned Katchit was safely munching oats at home last weekend, oblivious to the fact that some of his form was being called into question. Liberate was the latest horse to represent the form of the Triumph Hurdle (in which he finished second to Katchit), and he did it no favours by finishing eleventh of 16 in a handicap at Ascot.

Katchit himself has done the Triumph form no harm, of course, by winning two out of two since, but it does appear as if he was the best of an average bunch last term, though the best by quite some way. I think that's enough to make him a leading contender in a weak year. What do you think?

The Irish turf Flat season ended at Leopardstown last weekend and the British one will end at Doncaster this coming Saturday. I find it baffling that some people can seem relatively indifferent to the performances of the likes of Raven's Pass and Rio de La Plata among the two-year-olds and yet work themselves into a frenzy about unexceptional tail-end victories by the likes of Jupiter Pluvius ( 18.5 for the 2000 Guineas) and Twice Over (20.0 for the Derby).

The last two named are promising, of that there's no doubt, but their form does not come within a country mile of the other pair, let alone of the more justly lauded New Approach. Could someone tell me what I am missing?!

It remains to be seen whether the Flat jockeys' championship has been sewn up one way or the other come 15:10 on Saturday afternoon (current Betfair odds: Jamie Spencer 1.81, Seb Sanders 2.12). But, if not, then Spencer could not ask for a better mount in the featured November Handicap than Pippa Greene. The erstwhile Derby hope can be backed at 8.2 on Betfair.

Victory would be a good way to seal the championship and to bring down the curtain on another captivating Flat season.