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The Queen will have a rare runner over jumps on Wednesday at Sedgefield, when Reach For The Moon makes his eagerly anticipated hurdling debut.
Now owned jointly with former Arsenal chairman, Sir Chips Keswick, Reach For The Moon ran in the Royal silks on the Flat for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, he was a useful performer as a juvenile, finishing runner-up in the Listed Chesham Stakes before winning the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown Park.
The five-year-old gelding was transferred to Jamie Snowden last summer, and connections are looking forward to his first outing.
"He's taken well to jumping. He came to us last summer and we did a fair bit with him and then he went back to Sandringham for a holiday. He came back to us November-time and he's done very well," said Snowden.
"He enjoys his jumping, he jumps very neatly and accurately and his work has obviously been very good, as you would expect from a talented Flat horse, and we thought it was time to start and tip away gently.
"I don't see why he wouldn't stay the trip, there's stamina in his pedigree, obviously the ground will be a little bit softer than he has been used to in the past and he's got to get used to jumping eight flights of hurdles. But if he can translate what he has done at home to the track then hopefully he should go well.
"As far as the horse is concerned we've got to start somewhere and see where he takes us."