Gary Moore happy to 'shut people up' as Goshen rebounds in style

After Gary Moore finished speaking about Steve Packham's Shallwehaveonemore, the easy winner of Sandown's opening novice hurdle, he was asked what he expected Goshen to do a little over one hour later.

"I expect he'll win," said Moore. He could not have been more right on a day when Goshen's popularity with the racing public was underlined.

When referencing Goshen it seems obligatory to remind you he is the horse who would have won the 2020 Triumph Hurdle by a mammoth margin had he not unseated Jamie Moore at the final flight. There is, however, so much more that can be said about a smashing stable star who was deservedly cheered long and loud after claiming the Listed Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle by 15 lengths.

Watch the race replay as Goshen returned to winning ways

You might, for example, say that Goshen could have been a contender for the Champion Hurdle if his sometimes erratic steering enabled him to be as good racing left-handed as he is going the opposite direction. He very possibly would have won at Lingfield last month but for hanging, yet Sandown has always been a happy hunting ground. The same has not been true of Cheltenham, and for that reason another tilt at the Champion Hurdle seems unlikely.

Gary Moore admires Goshen after the Contenders HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

"That will have shut a lot of people up," said the delighted trainer. "It winds me up when people say, will the real Goshen turn up? The real Goshen turns up every day, but if he doesn't have things in his favour he doesn't perform.

"Cheltenham will be the owner's decision, not mine, but if it's up to me he won't go there."

He may, however, go over fences next season, something that should give Jamie Moore plenty to ponder over during the summer.

"He had a hard race today, and I don't think we would want to back him up too quickly, but next season he has the option of novice chasing at Kempton, Ascot and Sandown," said Goshen's jockey, who summed things up nicely by adding: "When things click for the horse he's good – but things don't always click."

How Shallwehaveonemore performs in Kempton's Dovecote Hurdle will determine whether he lines up at Cheltenham. That, however, is for the future. This win mattered because it was Josh Moore's first since undergoing spinal surgery. Also happy was the Star Sports punter who had a £75,000 bet on the novice at 8-15.

Vaughan is back in the big time

The handicaps on a quality Sandown card did not disappoint.

In the most valuable of them, the £100,000 Virgin Bet Heroes Hurdle, Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch added to their Scilly Isles haul when scoring with Green Book, who made up for a luckless early exit from the Lanzarote Hurdle by beating Beauport and Dans Le Vent.

"He schooled on Thursday and was really bold and confident, so I hoped we were in business," said Williams, who has her eye on a tilt at the Chester Cup, with the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle an option beforehand.

Alan Johns is in drive mode on Sandown winner Le MilosCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Paul Nicholls-trained Dolos could end up at Punchestown after bagging this card's 2m handicap chase for the third time, but Deise Aba narrowly missed out on a hat-trick in the Masters Handicap Chase when edged out by Le Milos, a welcome big-race winner for Tim Vaughan, for whom this was only an eighth strike of the season.

"We probably don't have enough of these horses but this horse shows what Tim can do," said jockey Alan Johns. He was happy, as was James Bowen, who having landed the finale on Peejaybee has now ridden a winner at every British jumps track.

Results, replays and analysis

Read more Saturday reports:

Irish Gold Cup: 'I said he'd win or pull up' - Elliott joy as Conflated shocks Gold Cup rivals

Expert jury: 'He was wildly impressive and is one of the most fluent jumpers around'

Irish Arkle: Blue Lord survives stewards' inquiry to continue Willie Mullins hot streak

Spring Juvenile Hurdle: Vauban vying for Triumph Hurdle favouritism after awesome Spring Juvenile win

Leopardstown: 'It was a fantastic performance' - Minella Cocooner slashed for Albert Bartlett

Scilly Isles: 'I gave it a Superman' - Deutsch delight at first Grade 1 with L'Homme Presse

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