Mileage rate works well for Reveley

JAMES Reveley hopes young chaser Saint Palois can take his career to new heights as the jump jockey continues to commute between Yorkshire and France in search of winners.

The narrow winner of an extremely valuable Prix Heros XII Chase at the top Paris track Auteuil on Sunday after surviving a nerve-wracking stewards’ inquiry, the 24-year-old hopes this is the horse which will carry him to Group One honours.

The five-year-old Saint Palois is due to reappear at Auteuil in early November and could then be aimed at some of Britain’s most prestigious steeplechases if he continues to show the fluency that saw him earn connections nearly £60,000.

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Reveley has competed in France for each of the past seven summers and the success of Saint Palois, a 25-1 outsider, was his 25th of the current campaign on the other side of the English Channel, a new personal best. Speaking ahead of the resumption of National Hunt racing at Wetherby tomorrow, he says he will continue to make frequent forays to France while also remaining No 1 at his father Keith’s yard at Saltburn.

Like Saint Palois, the Reveley family have a number of exciting prospects, including Dance Of Time, who will go novice hurdling this season after winning Bumpers at Doncaster and Southwell.

“I’ve got my commitments to Dad. We discuss things well in advance so we can work out where I’m going,” explained Reveley, who has also switched to Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania’s agent Bruce Jeffrey in the hope of securing more outside rides.

“I obviously want to commit to riding the horses that have the best chance of winning. I try and use public transport to get round France and book flights in advance where possible.”

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Saint Palois, trained at Pau by Jacques Ortet, was only racing for the second time in quick succession after a long injury lay-off.

He jumped the last boldly before drifting badly on the run-in, prompting the stewards to call an inquiry.

Given the French stewards have a reputation for being more penal than their British counterparts, Reveley feared the worse.

Yet, speaking in French, he was able to convince them that any interference was unintended. It was, he says, a daunting experience after he lost a race two years ago on the Nick Williams-trained Shalimar Fromentro.

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Reveley’s theory is an intriguing one – he said the difference on Sunday was that Saint Palois had a French trainer and French owners.

“I know the connections through my French boss Guillaume Macaire. They wanted someone to commit to the horse and I said ‘yes’. He’s a good horse and I expected him to run well,” added Reveley, who has also been schooling horses at Ferdy Murphy’s new stables in Normandy after the top trainer relocated to France from West Witton.

“He showed a lot of promise on his comeback over hurdles. I’ve won Group Threes like this before but not a Grade One – that’s the target with this horse.

“If things go well, there’s a chance he could race over here. From my point of view, this win was significant – outside Cheltenham and Aintree, there are not that many races with so much prize money.”

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Malton trainer Brian Ellison and owner Keith Brown are to reach for the stars with Top Notch Tonto after paying £70,000 to supplement the horse in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

It is a major vote of confidence in a horse that only came to prominence when winning a Group Three race at Haydock last month before landing Redcar’s Guisborough Stakes 10 days ago – but Ellison believes the probable soft going will be a major plus against many of Europe’s established Group One milers.

Meanwhile, Ellison will aim Montefeltro towards the best staying handicaps in 2014 – including the Northumberland Plate and Ebor at York – after the horse’s impressive success in Sunday’s Irish Cesarewitch under young claimer Robert Tart, 21, who has a perfect ‘three from three’ record on the handicapper.

Last year’s 2000 Guineas and dual Derby winner Camelot has been retired, it was revealed yesterday, and will stand at Coolmore Stud.

Denied a Triple Crown at Doncaster in September last year by Godolphin’s Encke, Aidan O’Brien’s champion was discovered to be lame yesterday morning.