The cockerels of jump racing had better look out: the Hen is back. At 76, Henrietta Knight, whose feat of training Best Mate to win three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups will probably never be equalled, is to renew the licence she relinquished 11 years ago to care for her late husband, Terry Biddlecombe. Racing fans will be delighted; perhaps a few of the 27 trainers interviewed in depth by a ‘retired’ Henrietta for her revealing book The Jumping Game: How National Hunt Trainers Work and What Makes Them Tick slightly less so. Henrietta, who has continued pre-training and advising owners looking for future stars, is known as the best judge of a horse around – and some are wondering if the comeback has been inspired by a new potential Best Mate already lurking in an East Hendred paddock.

There is a dearth of top quality hurdlers because candidates are more often sold abroad to race on the Flat

At this time of year I have to make judgments of my own, picking out a dozen horses to give readers some fun and maybe profit through the winter months. A standard £10 win stake on last winter’s selections gave a profit of £246, and I believe that most of them will still be worth keeping an eye on this season too, notably Aucunrisque, Iron Bridge, Manothepeople, Maximilian, Our Power, So Scottish and Sounds Russian. Midnight River should figure in top staying chases, perhaps even the Grand National. Encanto Bruno has already won Cheltenham’s opening meeting.

First choice this year is Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos, who made it three out of three winning a top bumper at the Grand National meeting. I’d love her to win a top mares race because she is the only horse her breeders ever produced: her mother died giving birth to her next foal.

Female trainers seem to be in especially good form at the moment, with Venetia Williams as always revving up in November. Her Victtorino, an ex-French chaser with plenty of experience, won a big Ascot chase at a decent price and should win more. In our list too is Emma Lavelle’s General Medrano after a top weight victory at Exeter. He is a big horse getting stronger, of whom Emma says: ‘We can be a bit excited about him.’ Jane Williams has had a tough year or two, having to buy out the business from her ex-husband Nick on his departure to France and with jockey son Chester suffering a shocking head injury. Of hers, I like the three-year-old Kel Du Large who was a 16-1 winner at Exeter from some decent prospects.

Since I noted down Alan King’s five-year-old Helnwein, he has won two novice hurdles. He looks progressive and should win more. There is a dearth of top-quality hurdlers in Britain because likely candidates are more often sold abroad to continue racing on the Flat. One exception might be Gary Moore’s Hansard. One of former jockey Noel Fehily’s syndicate horses, Hansard was no match for Paul Nicholls’s race-fit Rubaud at Wincanton, but he should collect a prize or two.

Trainer form counts, too. Harry Derham, nephew and former assistant to Paul Nicholls, started his own operation successfully last season. As Tom Scudamore noted: ‘He hadn‘t walked around Ditcheat with a blindfold on.’ Now in a new yard and with the wise Oliver Sherwood assisting, he should advance further. I like his four-year-old Shared.

Ben Pauling hasn’t looked back since moving to a new yard two years ago with a record 80 winners last year. His Tellherthename, a £200,000 purchase, looked sure to win an Ascot novice hurdle but was beaten by a nose. He’ll do better. Also advancing are the joint trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero and I am going for their White Rhino, a huge horse with few miles on the clock who keeps improving.

From Nicky Henderson’s long-established Rolls-Royce operation I am including Iberico Lord, an impressive second on the last day of last season.

From Ireland my choice is Mahler Mission, trained by John McConnell. A Grade Two-winning hurdler in his second season fencing, he fell when leading at the Cheltenham Festival. Also included is Il Est Francais, trained in France by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm to win five hurdles and his only chase, who will now run in Britain for Noel’s father Tom.

And what, you may ask, of our Twelve this summer (up to Champions Day)? We had surprisingly few runs for our money. Once More For Luck and the King’s Slip of the Pen never made it to the racecourse. Amleto, Cicero’s Gift and Yorkshire turned out a mere once, Rabaah and Tarjeeh (who won both times) only twice. In contrast David O’Meara’s handicapper Pearle d’Or made nine appearances, scoring at 11-2 and 7-2 and running second at 14-1 and 12-1. Passenger won a reasonable race at Windsor but our star was Saint Lawrence, who beat 26 to win at Royal Ascot at a handsome 22-1 in the hands of Hollie Doyle. The basic arithmetic for our 29 runs: a not-to-be-sniffed-at profit of £157. Happy punting.