Tag Archive for: Thyme Hill

Hobbs team hit by loss of stable stalwart Thyme Hill

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Multiple Grade One winner Thyme Hill has died after suffering a fatal injury on the gallops.

The nine-year-old won three times at the highest level for Philip Hobbs – landing the 2019 Challow Hurdle, the 2021 Aintree Hurdle and the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton last Christmas.

Having finished fourth on his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby earlier this month, Thyme Hill was being readied for the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday week – a race in which he beat Paisley Park three years ago – but his connections are now mourning the loss of a stable stalwart.

Johnson White, who joined Hobbs on the training licence earlier this year, said: “It’s very sad for the whole yard. He’s been phenomenal for some lovely owners and has taken them on a fantastic journey. We’ve been very lucky to have him.

“His run at Wetherby was OK the other day and he would have gone to Newbury on December 1. He was just doing a routine piece of work this morning and what happened happened, sadly.

“I feel very sorry for the whole yard as he’s been our flagbearer for a number of years now. Hopefully we have some nice young horses to reach his heights, but they take some replacing.”



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Staying stalwart Thyme Hill returns to action over hurdles

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Thyme Hill and Dashel Drasher lock horns in the bet365 West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby on Saturday.

Thyme Hill, now trained in partnership by Philip Hobbs and his long-time assistant Johnson White, has been a regular in major staying hurdles over the past few years and rarely runs a bad race.

Last season connections elected to embark on a novice campaign over fences, but while he managed a Grade One win in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton, he disappointed in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival in March and reverts to the smaller obstacles for his reappearance.

The son of Kayf Tara is approaching the twilight of his career as a nine-year-old, but Hobbs feels the fire still burns bright judged on what he is seeing on the gallops at his Somerset base.

“He’s very well indeed, we’re well happy with him,” he said.

“Maybe his confidence wasn’t great over fences, so we thought we’d start back over hurdles and he handles very soft ground.”

Dashel Drasher has similarly been a fine servant to his trainer Jeremy Scott, proving himself a top-level operator both over hurdles and over fences.

The 10-year-old made a successful start to last season in a small field conditions race at Aintree before finishing second in the Many Clouds Chase, the Relkeel Hurdle, the Cleeve Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle.

An outing at Aintree’s Grand National meeting proved one too many, but Scott is looking forward to her stable star’s return to action.

He said: “He looks a picture. Like a lot of horses he may well need the run, he usually does need the run on his first outing anyway, but he looks very well and looks stronger than ever, so we’ll see how we get on.

“He won at Aintree over two and a half first time out last season. We didn’t feel we had him at his best then and I think he’s probably be in a better place than we did this time last year, anyway.

“It will be soft old ground – it’ll be testing. He does go on that ground, whether it ekes out his stamina a bit much, I don’t know.”

Gary Moore’s Botox Has was two places behind Dashel Drasher when fourth in the Cleeve Hurdle in January and makes his first competitive appearance since this weekend.

Jamie Snowden’s Paddy Power Gold Cup hero Ga Law, Peter Fahey’s Irish raider Ambitious Fellow and the Paul Nicholls-trained Red Risk complete the line-up.



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No obvious reason for Thyme Hill’s Festival disappointment

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Connections of Thyme Hill are scratching their heads to find a reason for his lacklustre run in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last week.

The nine-year-old, who had finished runner-up to Flooring Porter in last season’s Stayers’ Hurdle, went into the Grade One chase on the back of victory in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

Having his first run since, the Philip Hobbs and Johnson White-trained gelding finished a laboured eighth to The Real Whacker, coming home under Micheal Nolan some 35 lengths behind the winner in the extended three-mile contest.

“He was disappointing,” admitted White. “He jumped a little bit slowly and at Cheltenham that obviously puts you on the back foot between the fences.

“It just never really panned out for him. We scoped him afterwards and there was a little bit of muck there, but probably not enough to suggest that was any excuse for his below-par performance.”

The Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree opens day two of the Aintree Grand National Festival and has been pencilled in for Thyme Hill’s next run.

However, he must show he has overcome his exertions before representing the Somerset yard at the Liverpool track.

“He has come back and seems in great form and looks well,” added White. “He just didn’t travel and jump as you need to to win races at Cheltenham.

“Hopefully we can move on and get him back on a winning thread.

“It’s early days to make plans, but we will have a look at Aintree and see. Most importantly it is to ensure he’s OK.

“He’s back cantering and seems well, and a decision will be made within the next week or 10 days, but that is certainly the plan at the moment. We will discuss it with his owners and see how his well-being is and go from there.”



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Johnson White bidding for dream start to new career with Thyme Hill

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Johnson White has been Philip Hobbs’ right-hand man for nearly three decades and he will join the Somerset handler on the training licence for the first time when Thyme Hill lines up in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

White, who first met Hobbs as 15-year-old schoolboy with dreams of becoming a jockey, is now a still youthful 49 and the former assistant hopes Thyme Hill can follow up his impressive victory in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day with another top-flight success.

Third in the Champion Bumper in 2019, Thyme Hill quickly established himself as a top-class hurdler, landing the Challow at Newbury.

Having gone close in the 2020 Albert Bartlett and been runner-up to Flooring Porter in last season’s Stayers’ Hurdle, his liking for Cheltenham is obvious.

He opened his account over fences at Exeter in November and while beaten by McFabulous at Newbury, he gained revenge on that rival, romping to a 15-length success when equipped with first-time cheekpieces at Kempton.

White feels the nine-year-old has every chance of beating another elite field this time round.

“We particularly kept him back for this race after Kempton and we could not be more delighted with how he is fitness and ground-wise,” said White.

“The ground won’t be a problem and he goes there with a very live chance. He won easily at Kempton and is actually very versatile ground-wise, but the softer ground just brings his stamina into play, which he has got bundles of. We could not be happier with where he is going into the race.”

Grade One success would be a remarkable start to White’s training career, and he added: “Even if you win at Cheltenham and people say it is a weak year or whatever, try going there and winning one.

“It is very difficult with the cavalcades who are coming from Ireland and this country alike. No one goes there confident, but you go there as hopeful as you possibly can be.”

Micheal Nolan replaces the injured Tom O’Brien, who has ridden Thyme Hill in all his previous eight starts since Richard Johnson hung up his boots.

White added: “Micheal has been second jockey to us since Dicky retired. We have every confidence in him. He’s schooled Thyme Hill a couple of times and that has gone really nicely.

“Obviously it is very sad for Tom, but a big opportunity for Micheal on the big stage, which he has long deserved.”

Gordon Elliott is still trying to find out how good Gerri Colombe is
Gordon Elliott is still trying to find out how good Gerri Colombe is (Steven Paston/PA)

Despite quickly establishing himself with 34 Cheltenham winners heading into the Festival, this is a race that Gordon Elliott has yet to win.

He would appear to have his best chance of breaking that duck in Gerri Colombe, who goes into the race unbeaten in seven starts, with three chase wins, including two at the top-level.

His latest, in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown, came over two and a half miles and Elliott feels the longer trip should suit.

He said: “I’m not worried about the ground. He’s a good horse.

“He won his beginners’ chase in Fairyhouse, Limerick was the obvious place to go after that and then I was trying to split him and Mighty Potter up, so I went to England with Gerri Colombe.

“In Sandown, when the other horse passed him (Balco Coastal), I loved the way he dropped his head and wanted to win.

“Sandown is a big jumping test and I think, over a longer trip, he can get into a beautiful rhythm.

“I don’t know how good he is. If you work him with an ordinary horse, he’ll work with them, and if you work him with a good horse, he’ll work with them. I honestly don’t know what is underneath the bonnet.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Sir Gerhard bids to win the race on only his second start over fences and is one of five representing the Closutton handler.

The Irish pair dominate the market, yet the British challenge is a strong one, with Patrick Neville’s Dipper winner The Real Whacker sticking to novice company rather than the Gold Cup and Dan Skelton’s mare Galia Des Liteaux bidding to back up her Grade Two Warwick success under ideal conditions, with ease in the ground and the benefit of a weight allowance.

“She will very much appreciate the ground and has been in very good form at home,” said Skelton. “Without the rain we wouldn’t have been able to run her.

“She gets 7lb for being a mare and I think it puts her right in the mix.”

Dan Skelton feels the weight allowance could be key for Galia Des Liteaux
Dan Skelton feels the weight allowance could be key for Galia Des Liteaux (Jacob King/PA)

Thunder Rock finished in the frame in both the Dipper and Scilly Isles, and trainer Olly Murphy feels he again holds place claims.

“He’s a horse who’s puzzled me a little bit, as I never thought he’d be going three miles, though it’s definitely the right thing to do,” said Murphy. “I think his jumping needs a staying trip but his body probably doesn’t.

“He works like he’s got plenty of gears, so we’ll drop him in and ride him to run well. Hopefully he’ll come home strong and we’ll ride him to be placed. He’s in very good form and hasn’t done a lot wrong this year.

“The Real Whacker is about 9-2 for that race and we’re 14-1, but I think we’d have beaten him if we’d have got into a better rhythm at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. Maybe we’re a little bit overpriced as such.”



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