Thomas Mor headed for Reynoldstown en route to Festival bid

Thomas Mor could prove he is the forgotten horse in the novice chasing 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 seen Kempton third, Wendigo, and fourth, Salver, frank the form since, connections are buoyant ahead of this Grade Two event which could act as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.

White said: “The form has been boosted since Christmas, I was very surprised 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 good form and schooled well on Tuesday morning and goes back to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. Conditions should suit and he’s 10lb higher than anything else on ratings so we have to be hopeful.

“We’ll get Saturday out the way first before we think about Cheltenham but at the moment we are thinking of the Grade One.

“This has always been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we’re very much looking forward to the track we are taking.”

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 likely to test the waters in graded company at Haydock when heading to the north west for the ZYN Rendlesham Hurdle.

“He’ll probably go to Haydock rather than the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton,” continued White.

“It will be competitive but he’s in good form and he’s run well at Haydock in the past, so there’s no reason not to be thinking that way.

“He’s in great form and schooled over a couple of hurdles on Tuesday morning. We couldn’t be happier with him and excited to see how he gets on.”