Andrew Nelis racing

  Philip Hobbs has confirmed Thyme Hill is on course for this weekend's Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. The six-year-old showed his well-being over five furlongs on the woodchip gallop at Hobbs' Minehead yard on Tuesday as he fine-tuned preparations for Saturday's Grade One. Thyme Hill staked a big claim for honours in the staying division when winning the Long Distance Hurdle on his seasonal debut at Newbury last month, with runner-up Paisley Park set to renew rivalry at Ascot.

Rebecca Curtis is confident her shock Stayers' Hurdle hero Lisnagar Oscar can take his game to a new level next season. The seven-year-old caused a 50-1 upset at the Cheltenham Festival, after which his trainer had harboured ambitions of a big-race double in the corresponding event at the Punchestown Festival, before the jumps season was curtailed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Curtis said: "He came out of Cheltenham in really good form, and very fresh.