Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid

Thomas Mor might show he is the forgotten horse in the newbie chasing after division when he heads to Ascot for the Injured Jockeys Fund Ambassadors Programme Reynoldstown Novices' Chase on Saturday.


Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's course winner was 2nd to Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and having seen Kempton 3rd, Wendigo, and 4th, Salver, frank the kind since, connections are resilient ahead of this Grade Two occasion which could act as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.


White said: "The type has actually been increased since Christmas, I was extremely shocked when looking at the Brown Advisory betting to see he is 100-1 and some of the horses that have been behind him and not too far in front are single figures.


"He's in excellent kind and schooled well on Tuesday early morning and goes back to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. should suit and he's 10lb greater than anything else on ratings so we need to be hopeful.


"We'll get Saturday out the method initially before we believe about Cheltenham however at the moment we are considering the Grade One.


"This has actually always been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we're very much anticipating the track we are taking."


Thomas Mor has smart course form (Andrew Matthews/PA)


Hobbs and White could also be represented at Ascot by the well-regarded Starzand in the opening Betfair Novices' Hurdle, a race the stable won with Sporting John back in 2020.


Meanwhile, French Ship, another of the Minehead operation's leading lights, is most likely to check the waters in graded company at Haydock when heading to the north west for the ZYN Rendlesham Hurdle.


"He'll most likely go to Haydock rather than the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton," continued White.


"It will be competitive however he's in good kind and he's run well at Haydock in the past, so there's no factor not to be thinking that method.


"He remains in fantastic type and schooled over a couple of obstacles on Tuesday early morning. We couldn't be better with him and excited to see how he gets on."