Champion Hurdle second-favourite Goshen set for Flat return

Horse Racing

Moore ace suffered heartbreaking final-flight mishap in Triumph Hurdle in March.

Gary Moore’s stable star Goshen is on course for a return to competitive action at the end of September.

The exciting four-year-old has not been seen since his heartbreaking final-flight exit when apparently set for a wide-margin victory in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

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Goshen had won six in a row before that – three races on the Flat and three over hurdles – and has next year’s Champion Hurdle at the top of his agenda.

However, Moore is keen to give his charge a couple of outings on the level before he returns to the jumping game later in the year, with a one-mile-six-furlong Haydock handicap pencilled in as a potential comeback target.

“Hopefully you’ll see him out at the end of the month,” said the Sussex trainer.

“There are races at Haydock and Newmarket for him – there’s a race at Haydock on September 26 that we’re looking at.

“I’m very happy with him. There aren’t many conditions races over hurdles that he’ll be able to run in – you’ve got the Christmas Hurdle and the Fighting Fifth, but there aren’t a lot of races.

Jamie Moore was inconsolable after the final-flight mishap with Goshen
Jamie Moore was inconsolable after the final-flight mishap with Goshen (Simon Cooper/PA)

“I’d like to think he’s well enough handicapped on the Flat. He hasn’t run much and has very low mileage, so there’s no reason not to give him a couple of runs on the Flat and see how we get on.”

Goshen is a best-priced 9-2 second-favourite for the Champion Hurdle, with this year’s winner Epatante heading the market at 4-1.

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