Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid
Thomas Mor could show he is the forgotten horse in the newbie going after department when he heads to Ascot for the Injured Jockeys Fund Ambassadors Programme Chase on Saturday.
Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's course winner was second to Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and having actually seen Kempton third, Wendigo, and 4th, Salver, frank the form since, connections are resilient ahead of this Grade Two occasion which might serve as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.
White stated: "The kind has actually been enhanced because Christmas, I was really amazed when looking at the Brown Advisory betting to see he is 100-1 and some of the horses that have lagged him and not too far in front are single figures.
"He's in great kind and schooled well on Tuesday morning and returns to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. Conditions should fit and he's 10lb higher than anything else on ratings so we need to be enthusiastic.
"We'll get Saturday out the way initially before we think about Cheltenham however at the minute we are thinking about the Grade One.
"This has actually constantly been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we're quite eagerly anticipating the track we are taking."
Thomas Mor has clever course type (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Hobbs and White might likewise 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 test 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 great type and he's run well at Haydock in the past, so there's no factor not to be believing that way.
"He's in terrific type and schooled over a number of difficulties on Tuesday morning. We could not be happier with him and delighted to see how he gets on."