Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid

Thomas Mor might show he is the forgotten horse in the amateur chasing department 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 actually seen Kempton third, Wendigo, and fourth, Salver, frank the type given that, connections are resilient ahead of this Grade Two occasion which might function as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.


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


"He's in good form and schooled well on Tuesday morning and returns 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 rankings so we need to be enthusiastic.


"We'll get Saturday out the way initially before we think of Cheltenham however at the minute we are believing of the Grade One.


"This has 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 steady won with Sporting John back in 2020.


Meanwhile, French Ship, another of the Minehead operation's leading lights, is likely to test the waters in graded business 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 in the past, so there's no factor not to be believing that method.


"He's in terrific form and schooled over a number of hurdles on Tuesday morning. We couldn't be happier with him and thrilled to see how he gets on."