Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid

Thomas Mor could show he is the forgotten horse in the beginner chasing after 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 second to Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and having actually seen Kempton 3rd, Wendigo, and fourth, Salver, frank the type since, connections are buoyant ahead of this Grade Two event which could act as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.


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


"He remains in excellent type and schooled well on Tuesday early morning and goes back to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. Conditions ought to suit and he's 10lb greater than anything else on ratings so we need to be confident.


"We'll get Saturday out the way initially before we consider Cheltenham but at the minute we are considering the Grade One.


"This has actually always been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we're very much eagerly anticipating the track we are taking."


Thomas Mor has smart 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 evaluate the waters in graded company at Haydock when heading to the north west for the ZYN Rendlesham Hurdle.


"He'll most likely go to instead of the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton," continued White.


"It will be competitive however he's in excellent type and he's run well at Haydock in the past, so there's no reason not to be believing that way.


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