The 2027 Cheltenham Festival is the 'ultimate plan' for the King and Queen's Reaching High, who broke his maiden over jumps with barely any effort in the John J. Galvin Maiden Hurdle at Listowel on Friday.
Despite being a twice-beaten favourite at Royal Ascot, the Willie Mullins-trained son of Sea The Stars had finished runner-up by half a length on his hurdling debut last month after making the switch from the Flat. However, his performance at the Harvest Festival in County Kerry told a completely different tale.
Effortless victory at Listowel
Paul Townend scarcely had to lift a finger aboard the 1-4 favourite, never catching sight of another challenger and possessing sufficient reserves to cruise to a 10-length triumph despite making a hash of the final flight.
Mullins commented: "Unfortunately the King and Queen aren't present but would love to be here, as one of their stated aims is to visit every county in Ireland. They only have a few left and hopefully will come to 'the Kingdom' (as Listowel is known) some day."
Trainer's assessment and plans
"The horse got a fright at the last but he jumps well enough. He likes a flat track, but it can be a bit sharp here and he is a huge, big, long-striding horse so was inclined to get unbalanced around the bends. Other than that, he did it well," Mullins added.
Mullins continued: "The ultimate plan is to go for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham next March and I think he is more of a good-ground horse, so running in Leopardstown at Christmas would be fantastic. We'll take it baby steps first."
