Trainer Philip Hobbs and his long-time assistant Johnson White are the latest pair to take out a joint training licence and their first runner under this new arrangement is set to be the well-fancied Thyme Hill in the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at The Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday (March 15th).
The nine-year-old will be partnered by Micheal Nolan as regular pilot Tom O'Brien is side-lined with injury and White is more than hopeful of a big run with soft ground holding no fears.
Johnson White said today: "It is fantastic that our first runner with the joint licence will be in a Grade One at The Cheltenham Festival and there would obviously be no better place to start - especially if he managed to win.
"Philip and myself are very excited to be going to The Festival with a live chance and the horse knows his way around the course as he has won over hurdles there in the past."
The Hobbs yard have endured a below par season by their own high standards and White holds no illusion that there is plenty of work to be done in that respect.
He explained: "I will be at Cheltenham all four days of The Festival trying to bring in as many potential clients and new owners as possible, which is very important for the future.
"I have been very lucky to be associated with such a successful yard for many seasons and I am now looking forward to the next chapter and as far as I am concerned it is onwards and upwards."
If Thyme Hill fails to deliver, Hobbs and White will also be represented on Wednesday by Camprond and Sporting John in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle, as well as with Deise Aba in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase.
Hobbs has trained 20 Festival winners in his own right, the most recent being Defi Du Seuil in what is now the Turners Novices’ Chase in 2019.
White has been Hobbs’ assistant since 1995 and in 2015 won the Leadership Award at the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards in 1995.
