Moore wary after 'chaser in the making' Porticello storms into Triumph picture

Monday: Chepstow

Gary Moore knows all too well what it takes to train top juvenile hurdlers and Porticello emerged as his latest superstar, producing a stunning display to thrash his rivals in the Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle.

It ultimately proved a straightforward task to dismiss nearest challenger Saint Segal by eight and a half lengths and, while his stamina could not be matched over Chepstow’s long undulating finish, Jamie Moore was smart enough to stay out of trouble in a race marred by plenty of drama.

Shortly after the third hurdle, front-running Skycutter drifted right and directly into the path of 9-4 favourite Forever Blessed. With nowhere to go, he bumped the running rail, jinked and came close to sending jockey Sean Bowen to the floor. They survived a scare but their chance had gone.

For Skycutter’s jockey Tommy Dowson it resulted in a hefty 16-day ban from the stewards for careless riding, 13 of which were for that incident and an additional three for causing further interference at the start.

Trainer Moore accepted Porticello was somewhat fortunate as he celebrated his first success at racing’s elite level since 2015, but this was nonetheless a dominant performance by a horse of real talent.

Jamie Moore on Porticello: 'He's a stayer, he's genuine and he's got size and scope to go forward with'Credit: Edward Whitaker

“That was great,” Moore said. “It was the first time he had a truly-run race and the hurdles that were missing didn't go against him either. There's a few unlucky ones in the race, the horse of Harry Fry's in particular, and we had a lot of things go in our favour. But you can't knock him, he couldn't have done any more than he did.”

Bookmakers were suitably impressed too. Paddy Power cut him to 12-1 (from 20-1) for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival but Porticello’s future days could well be over fences – and whether he will turn up for that contest is yet to be determined.

“He's a chaser in the making. That’s [Triumph] something I'll have to speak to his owner Olly Harris about, he's a patient man and he's got a nice horse on his hands,” Moore added, speaking away from Chepstow.

“I mustn't overdo it this season, this race was sort of an afterthought to be honest. We intended to go to Cheltenham at the end of the month but he came to hand so quick, then the ground was right too and it's thanks to Olly who said we should go here.”

Jockey Jamie Moore added: “He's beaten a nice field well enough. He's a stayer, he's genuine and he's got size and scope to go forward with. The beauty with him is that he isn't a juvenile hurdler. He feels like a two-and-a-half, or maybe even a three-mile, chaser.”

Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle: full result and replay

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