Goshen could head for Aintree after Kingwell heroics

Keith Hamer
February 20, 2022 1:38 pm

But left-handed tracks remain a concern with popular six-year-old.

Gary Moore may give Goshen one more chance to show he can handle a left-handed track after his gutsy success at Wincanton on Saturday.

The six-year-old held Adagio by a length and three-quarters to make all the running and win the Kingwell Hurdle for the second year running.

With Cheltenham not on the agenda for Goshen, the Betway Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles in April is an option along with right-handed Punchestown, where he was fifth to Honeysuckle in the Paddy Power Champion Hurdle last spring.

“He proved when he went round Lingfield the other day he wanted to go right-handed,” Moore told Sky Sports Racing.

⭐️ Gutsy from Goshen
The mercurial talent is all class as he lands successive runnings of the G2 Kingwell Hurdle for @gl_racing & @jemoore85 at @wincantonraces, winning a classic tussle with Adagio

🏆 2022🏆 2021 pic.twitter.com/kNEdyNVMnl
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 19, 2022

“When you ride him out at home and go down a left-handed canter he just goes right. He did it at Haydock on the Flat. It’s just a little quirk in his head. I will have to try just once more probably at Liverpool otherwise his season is nearly over unless he goes back to Punchestown, but does he really need to take on the mare (Honeysuckle)? It’s going to be hard.

“When he’s going right-handed there are not many better horses around. We have to play it by ear and work out a way to make him go straight.”

Moore has been heartened by the public support of the horse – who had the Triumph Hurdle at his mercy in 2020 only to unseat Jamie Moore at the final flight – and is looking forward to trying him over two and a half miles.

“He’s a little bit the people’s horse now. The cheer there apparently was very good. I watched the race from Ascot and there were more people shouting for him from there than what I expected,” said the West Sussex handler.

“I have got 100 per cent faith in the horse and he never lets me down.

“That was the first time he’s ever got into a punch-up when he’s had to dig deep. I didn’t know how much he would find, he probably didn’t find a great deal but he’s strong and he has stamina.

“He does want two and half miles now. On a stiffer track I think you’d see a bit better horse. The one good thing about him was he had to dig deep. He’s had three races in a short space of time and two hard traces before yesterday and that shows what guts he’s got.”

Porticello could be heading for the Triumph Hurdle is the ground is on the soft side (David Davies/PA)

Cheltenham is on the agenda for stablemate Porticello, as long as the ground is suitable, following his easy victory in the Victor Ludorum Hurdle at Haydock.

“The Triumph is the plan for him as long as the ground is no drier than good to soft. Good ground would probably be too quick for him,” said Moore.

“The track would suit him because you need to stay there. It would never come up like it did at Haydock, but if it came up on the soft side then he would definitely go there.”