Mr Mor jumping for three in a row?

Mr Mor’s bid for a third consecutive Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase title hasn’t gone entirely to plan, but his trainers remain confident of a bold showing on Saturday.

The veteran jumper’s most recent race day efforts have been encouraging with a third placing at Hastings followed by a last-start second behind The Big Opal in the Waikato Steeplechase.

However, it has been events since then that have deviated from the ideal build-up.

‘‘He missed a run on the flat the other day, which would have helped a lot,’’ said Evan Rayner, who prepares the rising 13-yearold with his daughter JJ.

‘‘He was going to go to Otaki, but he was third on the ballot and didn’t get a start.

‘‘He’s also had a cut on his leg, although that should hopefully be fine.’’

Mr Mor will be partnered at Hastings this weekend by Matthew Cropp, who guided the gelding into a runner-up finish behind Upper Cut in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton.

‘‘The horse has been working well and his last run was good,’’ Rayner said.

‘‘He schooled yesterday and Matt rode him and he was very pleased.’’

Meanwhile, Rayner said their stable star Start Wondering had returned home to spell after a frustrating time at the Queensland winter carnival.

The six-year-old was unplaced in both of his starts on rainaffected going and a virus subsequently cut short his campaign.

Start Wondering won both the Group I Railway Stakes and the Group I NRM Sprint and was runner-up in the Group I Telegraph during his last domestic campaign and those races will again be future targets for the gelding.

Thorn Prince has trained on well since his bold first-up effort for second in the Listed Ag Challenge Stakes at Wanganui.

The stakes winner will revert to handicap company at Hastings tomorrow in the Taradale Club 2100, in which trainer Fraser Auret will take advantage of the claiming conditions.

“He went a massive race at Wanganui and he’s in those sort of races at weight-for-age up to his eyeballs but in handicaps he pays a price for consistency,” he said.

“Our apprentice Madan Singh will ride him and get three kilos off and the horse is very well.”

Thorn Prince has won nine races, including the Listed Taumarunui Gold Cup.