Thyme Hill set for Wetherby start as Philip Hobbs considers hurdles campaign for stable star

Thyme Hill will return to the track over hurdles as trainer Philip Hobbs hinted his stable star could be campaigned over the smaller obstacles this season.

The nine-year-old won twice in his novice chase season, including when posting a 15-length success in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, but reverted to hurdles after disappointing in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival.

Hobbs revealed he is to line up in the Grade 2 bet365 Hurdle, more commonly known as the West Yorkshire Hurdle, at Wetherby next Saturday before connections form a plan for the remainder of the campaign.

Thyme Hill bounced back to form when tried in the Select Hurdle, over shorter than his ideal trip, at Sandown's season finale and he could have unfinished business over hurdles.

Sky Bet make him a 25-1 chance for the Stayers' Hurdle, a race he previously finished second in, at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival but double the odds for the Gold Cup.

Hobbs, who trains in partnership with Johnson White, said: "He'll probably go to Wetherby. We'll run over hurdles first and take a view after that but that's the plan so far. He's doing well and hopefully that should be a nice place to start him off."

Earlier this week, the joint-trainers handed Zanza an entry for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on December 2. The nine-year-old produced a 16-1 shock at the track in February when taking the Denman Chase and could return there for a 3m handicap hurdle on November 9.

"He's doing well and we'll have a look at the Coral Gold Cup," added Hobbs. "We'll probably run in a hurdles race at Newbury in a fortnight, he's doing well.

"We'll look at the big race at Newbury but it's a long way away and we just wanted to make sure we had him in there."

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