Anthony Honeyball sweet on Sam Brown heading into Saturdays Reynoldstown at Ascot

VICTORY in the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot would be oh-so-sweet for Anthony Honeyball.

The Dorset trainer has had to bide his time with injury-hit star Sam Brown, who has been limited to just six career starts.

But everything clicked into gear last month when he won a Haydock Grade 2 by a street in the mud.

And the bookies view him as the main danger to Pym in Saturday’s 3m contest, with Ladbrokes going 9-4 and 11-4 respectively.

Conditions this weekend should be perfect, with Storm Dennis set to bring plenty of rain, and Honeyball is hoping the horse can book his ticket to next month’s RSA Chase at Cheltenham.

Honeyball told Sun Racing: “Hes in good order, he will have a little jump on Thursday to sharpen him up. We were hoping for rain and we should get plenty – he will revel in the ground.

“He is improving all the time and we are taking aim at the RSA at Cheltenham, so the Reynoldstown is his next big test.

“He seems to have come out of his win at Haydock well. He looked like he was going to falter rounding the bend and I was wondering whether the run at Lingfield 11 days before had left a mark on him.

“Aidan Coleman said he was worried for a few strides, too, but he just filled his lungs up turning for home and from then on Aidan said it was just a case of when, not if, he would get there.

“He really got rolling in the last 200 yards and he went through the line very strongly.”

But it has been far from straightforward for the eight-year-old over the past few seasons.

Honeyball continued: “He’s had his problems. His first season with us he won a couple of bumpers and he showed us a hell of an engine. The world looked our oyster at that stage.

“But while he was on his summer holidays he had a nasty old fall out in the field and he was feeling a bit sorry for himself and lost a lot of weight. He was never right that season, he was possibly feeling a bit of pain.

“We got him back and he won his novice hurdle easily at Plumpton, but he had several setbacks afterwards. Hes had stress fractures, bone remodelling and bone pain.

“We have been minding him the whole time and it is all starting to come together now. We are now where we always hoped we would be with him.

“He is only lightly-raced and should have more improvement in him. Hes a good horse and one we have always believed in him.”

Meanwhile, Honeyball’s stable stalwart Regal Encore will chase another big payday at his beloved Ascot this weekend.

The 12-year-old tackles the 75,000 Swinley Chase and came roaring back to form to win the Silver Cup over C&D before Christmas.

Honeyball said: “He has taken on a new lease of life this season. Hes almost behaving like he was when he was a four-year-old, he is very enthusiastic in everything he is doing.

“He seems in really good form and he won another valuable race at Ascot before Christmas. He has done everything we have asked of him since then.

“We have been working back from this race and we have got a free shot now that the National weights are out – it was always going to be this race and then on to Aintree.”

He is unlikely to be joined in the race by Jepeck, whose first preference this weekend is a run at Exeter on Sunday.

Exciting novice hurdler Kid Commando could join him on the horse box there, though the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday week is also under consideration.