The Reverend ready to embark on hurdles career with Willie Mullins

Old Borough Cup winner The Reverend has left William Haggas and joined Willie Mullins in anticipation of a novice hurdling campaign this winter.

Owned Tony Bloom alongside Ian McAleavy, the four-year-old is rated 102 following his big handicap success at Haydock, with hopes high he can translate his form to obstacles.

Bloom’s silks were seen in the Cheltenham Festival winner’s enclosure last season when Poniros landed the Triumph Hurdle on his first start over timber and while The Reverend is a year older, he does draw some comparison to the Brighton supremo’s Penhill who struck twice at the Festival under Mullins’ tutelage.

“He’s gone over to Willie and when Crown Of Oaks ran at the Curragh (on Irish Champions Weekend), he went over in the same box as him and Willie picked him up from the Curragh,” said Sean Graham, Bloom’s racing manager.

“He’s done some loose schooling already and when I spoke to (assistant trainer) David Casey he mentioned he had schooled well and he would be fine over hurdles.

“Funnily enough the Ripon Bell-Ringer Handicap he won earlier in the season was the same one Penhill won as a three-year-old and Penhill also won at Haydock in a similar event to the Old Borough Cup as a four-year-old, so there are a few similarities between the two horses.

“I think The Reverend is rated 2lb higher on the Flat than Penhill ever was and he went and won at two Cheltenham Festivals, but we can’t get too carried away before we’ve even seen The Reverend in his maiden hurdle.”

While The Reverend is yet to begin his career over hurdles, the aforementioned Poniros is back in training at Closutton before trying to pick up from where he left off.

With appearances on the level limited to just one outing at Royal Ascot this summer, he has been freshened up ahead of the new jumps campaign in which connections hope he can develop into a Champion Hurdle contender.

“He didn’t enjoy the very quick ground at Royal Ascot and we decided he hadn’t really had a break since the sales last year when we bought him,” explained Graham.

“We decided he had won a Triumph Hurdle, finished second in a Grade One at Punchestown and then gone to Royal Ascot, so it was time for him to have a break and he came back into training August 1 alongside Energumene and Ile Atlantique.

“He’ll go back hurdling now and Willie will tell us when he’s ready to run.

“It’s a huge jump up from being a Triumph Hurdle horse to Champion Hurdle and we would be hoping he would be that sort of horse, but he’s still very well handicapped on the Flat and he stays a mile and a half really well, so there’s options next summer as well.

“There’s loads of options open to him both over jumps and the next Flat season.”