Moore Eager To Run Goshen This Weekend Ahead Of Champion Hurdle Target

Trainer Gary Moore will start his stable star Goshen off at Cheltenham in the Grade Two International Hurdle after the trainer had previously bypassed many other options and now he is very eager to get him back on a racecourse.

Goshen was a model of consistency during the jumps season and raced three four times over timber and going on to win his three events by a combined 68 lengths before his dreaded fall at the Cheltenham festival in the Triumph Hurdle being 10 lengths clear facing the last flight.

Since then he has not been seen in the jumps sphere but has raced twice on the flat and with the yard looking to exploit his mark of 88 it did not quite pan out with two lesser runs, which saw him beat easily in both events.

After swerving the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, Moore earmarked the Ascot Hurdle as the next stepping stone in this superstars career but once again the gelding was pulled out at the final declaration stage, due to not scoping right for a second time in a row.

Moore gave the four year old an option in the Fighting Fifth which would have seen him take on Champion Hurdle winner Epatante, but having been taken out of the entries for the Newcastle Grade One it looks as though the International hurdle is one of his last hopes of getting a run under his belt this year.

(Credit ATR) Moore said: “We’re really looking to it, he’s been very good the last few weeks.

“He had a little school this morning, in the indoor school, and he was very quick and accurate and I couldn’t be happier.

“People were quite rude about his jumping before Cheltenham, but I was convinced it would be fine and it was – apart from what happened at the last and that was just a freak accident. Otherwise he was spot on at everything.

“We’ll see if our grass is good enough to work on in the morning and if it is he’ll do his last piece of work. He’ll be scoped afterwards and all being well he’ll head to Cheltenham.”

Having disappointed on his last two outings which saw him run at Haydock and Goodwood on the flat, Moore has been wary as to where to start his superstar and it now looks as though he will return to the track of his only defeat over hurdles.

“I just felt the Wincanton (Elite) race was coming a bit too quick after Goodwood, where he harder a harder race than I would have liked him to have done,” said Moore.

“After that he just wasn’t quite himself. The week of the Newcastle race his work wasn’t A1 and his scope wasn’t perfect.

“It’s been very frustrating, for the owners especially, but I don’t want to run a horse who isn’t 110 per cent right in top-class races.

“I’m desperate to get to Cheltenham, the only way he wouldn’t run is if he’s not well or there is firm in the going description.”