'Novus will probably be my strongest chance' - Gary Moore outlines Glorious Goodwood plans

There are not many hotter trainers on the Flat at the moment than Gary Moore, who nominated Novus as his best chance of a winner at Glorious Goodwood next week.

Moore took his seasonal tally to 43 – the most Flat winners he has saddled since 2014 – when Night Eagle swooped down the outside to land the 1m4f handicap at Epsom on Thursday, improving his strike-rate to 42 per cent (five winners from 12 runners) in the last fortnight.

Among the team that Moore hopes to take to his local track is Aggagio, a course winner who was beaten just two and three-quarter lengths by subsequent Ascot Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami at Goodwood in May.

He will be joined by Novus, winner of a soft-ground 7f handicap at the West Sussex venue, who finished sixth in the Sandringham on her next start before losing by a length at Sandown just over two weeks ago.

“I’ve got a few for Goodwood,” said Moore. “The ground will be key for a couple of them, as well as how they go for the next week, but there’s a couple I hope are definites. 

“Novus will probably be my strongest chance there. She definitely needs a bit of juice in the ground but, even if it was good ground, she still ran well in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot. She should have won the other day at Sandown, and she’ll be entered in two or three races.

“The other one that goes there who never runs a bad race is Aggagio. He got beat under three lengths by the horse who won the Gold Cup this year. He’ll be entered in the races over two and a half miles, and a mile and six.”

Novus: the Goodwood winner is Gary Moore's best chance at the Glorious meeting next weekCredit: john grossick

Moore had hoped Goshen would line up in the Queen Alexandra at the royal meeting but he was withdrawn because of quick ground. He will not be heading to Goodwood, but will be campaigned at three miles when the jumps season gets going.

“I’d love to have him in the race over two and a half miles there, but sometimes you’ve just got to give them a break,” he added.

“I saved him and kept him going up until Ascot hoping to get soft ground, but we never did, so the day after that he was turned out in the field and that’s where he’s been ever since. He’s due to come back next week.

“He’ll be tackling three miles again. The race programme sorts itself out for him, unless we run him in a handicap off top weight, which we might have to do this season because of his mark."

When it was suggested he was in flying form on the Flat, the trainer said: “I don’t know about that, but we try our best. It’s good to keep ticking along during the summer.

“I’ve always had runners on the Flat. Even back when I started I trained more on the Flat than I did at jumping, and as time has gone on it’s gone the other way.

“I haven’t got that many Flat horses in at the moment to tell you the truth – I’ve probably got less than ever. I just seem to be able to run them a lot. I don’t know why, but it’s a good problem to have!”

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