Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid

Thomas Mor could show he is the forgotten horse in the beginner going 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 second to Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and having actually seen Kempton third, Wendigo, and fourth, Salver, frank the type given that, connections are resilient ahead of this Grade Two event which might act as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.


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


"He's in great type and schooled well on Tuesday and goes back to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. Conditions need to fit and he's 10lb higher than anything else on scores so we need to be enthusiastic.


"We'll get Saturday out the method initially before we consider Cheltenham however at the moment we are believing of the Grade One.


"This has always been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we're quite looking forward to the track we are taking."


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


Hobbs and White could likewise be represented at Ascot by the well-regarded Starzand in the opening Betfair Novices' Hurdle, a race the steady 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 instead of the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton," continued White.


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


"He's in fantastic kind and schooled over a couple of obstacles on Tuesday early morning. We could not be better with him and excited to see how he gets on."