Thyme Hill floors McFabulous in Kauto Star Novices' Chase

Thyme Hill (11-2), who was successful twice at the top level over hurdles, is now also a Grade One winner over fences following his victory today in the Grade One Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park.

The eight year old made a winning chasing debut at Exeter in November before finding the re-opposing McFabulous too good at Newbury later in the same month.

Today saw Thyme Hill sporting first-time cheekpieces and under a patient ride from Tom O’Brien he overhauled long-time leader McFabulous approaching the last before going on to score by an impressive 15 lengths.

Sarah Hobbs, wife of winning trainer Philip Hobbs, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. He jumped so well and I think the cheekpieces helped but he has been working a lot better this week and he has suddenly come into himself.

“He does need a fast pace. If they go too slow he can’t quicken but if it is fast to start with he can. He can’t run very often and he needs to be fresh. He is not very big but he does try and the cheekpieces just make him concentrate. He is a lovely little horse but he has his own mind. I was confident because Philip was confident. He had said at home that his work was so much better. The girl that rides him every day said that he was a different horse.

“He would have to have at least a month off. There are not too many races he can run in before Cheltenham. It would be better if he went to Cheltenham then Aintree as he has won at Aintree before. He is a good horse.”

Winning rider Tom O’Brien said: “It was disappointing at Newbury but the ground there was the faster side of good and I was ballooning fences and you can’t give any ground away doing that.

“We put the cheekpieces on and the ground brought stamina into it today plus he he wasn’t ballooning them as much as the last day. I was (happy to hunt around at the back) and the pressure was off today as he was second last outsider as everyone had written him off after Newbury. I just rode him to hope that others would cut their throats and I could then come and get them. That was the enjoyable thing about today.

“I was disappointed after Newbury but when I schooled him with cheekpieces on I thought this is what I want to feel. He is a dual Grade One winner over hurdles and he is now a Grade One winning chaser and nearly a Grade One bumper winner. He has been a very good horse and I’m delighted I’ve got to ride him.”

Paul Nicholls, trainer of runner-up McFabulous and Gelino Bello (fell four out) said: “McFabulous just doesn’t quite get three miles on that ground. I think they all had a problem with the sun there down the back from what they were all saying, Harry (Cobden) said he wasn’t really confident jumping and then he’s just run out of petrol. The other horse outstayed him on that ground and it’s just one of those things, we know he needs good ground so we’ll leave him until the spring and run him on nice ground. We’ll freshen him up now and wait for the good ground in the spring.

“Gelino Bello was travelling really well, they’re both OK and Bryony (Frost, jockey) came in and said similar. We won’t be blaming anything but it’s one of those things, they’re both good and he’s a nice horse and he’ll come good.”

Fergal O’Brien, trainer of third-placed Mortlach (40-1), said: “He’s won nine or ten grand for his owners there, so we’re absolutely delighted. We call him the cash cow because he turns up and delivers!

“Paddy (Brennan) gets on so well with him, he isn’t the nicest of rides but Paddy and Neil (Jukes) have done all the race planning with him and they’ve done so well and won over 50 grand (over fences) with him now. It’s a phenomenal amount to be winning and he’s won six races along the way so he’s given us an awful lot of pleasure. He jumped the last there and then Paddy got him to trot because we’ve got him in at Cheltenham at the weekend and he’ll go on that ground. Paddy said he didn’t quite get the same feel on him today because it was quite tacky but we might have a look at Cheltenham now – he’s had a blow there today and enjoyed it.”