Mountain to climb for Sandown rivals

Mountain, a leading fancy for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, makes his long-awaited hurdling bow at Sandown tomorrow.

The four-year-old, who was a Listed winner on the Flat for Aidan O’Brien, was due to run at Cheltenham last week but trainer Jonjo O’Neill took him out due to concerns over the ground.

The son of Montjeu will finally get a public spin over obstacles at the Esher venue when facing 11 rivals in the Michael And Sandra Keep Ruby Anniversary Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.

“He’s schooled well at home and he’s in grand form so we’re really looking forward to running him tomorrow,” O’Neill told At The Races.

Eighth in the Vodafone Derby behind Sir Percy, Mountain is as low as 8-1 with Betdirect for the Festival feature despite not having run since last October when he finished second in a Newbury Group Three.