Reach For The Moon given Supreme entry and set to make hurdling debut for the Queen next month

Reach For The Moon, a one-time candidate for the Derby, is being lined up to make his debut over hurdles for the Queen next month before a potential tilt at the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Bred and initially owned by Queen Elizabeth II, Reach For The Moon was a talented performer on the Flat for trainers John and Thady Gosden, with his finest moment coming when winning the 2021 Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown under Frankie Dettori.

After finishing second in the Champagne Stakes, Reach For The Moon was ruled out of the remainder of his two-year-old season and also missed the Derby having failed to make it back in time from injury. His career on the Flat never quite recovered, with him only managing five runs in 2022 and 2023 combined, one of which was his defeat as the 2-5 favourite in the Hampton Court Stakes.

Reach For The Moon was switched to Jamie Snowden in August and appeared among the entries for the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle this week in the ownership of the Queen and Sir Chips Keswick, who will race the majority of any royal horses together over jumps.

Keswick and the Queen, when known as the Duchess of Cornwall, have previously enjoyed success together over jumps with the likes of Listed-winner Pacify, and Snowden is optimistic that Reach For The Moon can make a successful transition from the Flat as well.

Jamie Snowden: trainer of Reach For The MoonCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

He said: “It’s very fortunate that Her Majesty the Queen has continued to support us and Reach For The Moon is a really lovely horse. He was obviously very talented on the Flat but he had one or two problems that kept holding him up and that’s why he’s ended up coming to us.

“He’s taken really well to being here and to jumping, which he does nicely. He came in during the summer to get started and then went back to Sandringham for an autumn break. He’s been good since he’s come back in and I think he’s going to be ready to run next month, although I’m not quite sure where that will be yet. 

“We’ll plan from there but with his Flat form we wanted to put him in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle so we have that option if we want to go there. He’s an exciting horse for us to have.”

Reach For The Moon is a best-price 125-1 with Coral for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Last year, the King and Queen were denied the opportunity to have a runner at the Cheltenham Festival when Steal A March was ruled out of the Pertemps Network Final the week before the meeting after sustaining an injury.

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