23 January 2024 , 17:52
1149
0
There could be a royal runner at this year’s Cheltenham Festival after a one-time Derby contender for the late Queen Elizabeth II was entered in one of the big races.
Reach For The Moon emerged as a potential Classic colt under John and Thady Gosden but he was unable to live up to expectionations.
He was transferred to jumps trainer Jamie Snowden last year and is now in the ownership of Her Majesty the Queen and Sir Chips Keswick, former chairman of Arsenal.
Though yet to makes his jumps debut Reach For The Moon is rated a 25-1 chance for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by sponsor Sky Bet.
Snowden said: “He was obviously a very good horse for John and Thady Gosden and he was a leading contender at one stage for the 2022 Derby.
Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'
“He had a few little issues on the Flat hence the reason why he has ended up jumping with us opposed to doing anything else.
“With a horse that has that kind of rating on the Flat we have to give him an entry in the Supreme, but we will see how he takes to everything over the next month to six weeks.”
The King and Queen enjoyed their first Royal Ascot success in the summer (Getty Images)Snowden went on: “Racing is steeped in the tradition of the Royal Family. The Queen Mother loved it, and the late Queen was a big supporter of the sport.
“It is wonderful that The King and The Queen that are reigning now are supporting racing as much as ever before.
“They have got a nice team on the Flat, and it was great to see them have a Royal Ascot winner last year in Desert Hero, who won the King George V Stakes.
“We have got some nice horses for them and hopefully Reach For The Moon can fly the flag high for them. We are lucky to have a horse of his talent and hopefully we can do him justice.”
Snowden has not earmarked a potential starting point for Reach For The Moon but has been pleased with how the dual Flat winner has taken to his new discipline.
He added: “He is a very talented individual and he has taken well to his jumping. He did a lot of jumping when he came in off the Flat and then he went for a bit of a break back at Sandringham.
“He worked around the bowl (a gallop in Lambourn) nicely this morning and his jumping is great. Hopefully he will be ready to run mid-February. ”