'They become friends' - Gary Moore hit hard by death of Porticello

Gary Moore has said losing horses remains as tough to cope with as ever even after a year which saw the trainer forced to face the potential loss of his son Josh due to complications arising from a serious fall at Haydock in April.

Speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday's newspaper, Moore opened up about the pain of that worrying period when Josh fought for his life in hospital, discussed following in the footsteps of his father Charlie and explained why a major change might soon be coming at his yard.

Moore suffered a major blow last weekend when the Grade 1-winning hurdler Porticello was killed in a fall at Newbury and said: "Just to make things worse in a year like this, we lose a lovely horse like him, my first Grade 1 winner over hurdles and Olly Harris's first Grade 1 ever, a horse with a massive future.

Porticello won the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow last seasonCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"You hate to lose any horse but the good ones are hard to replace, and Olly Harris is a good owner who's having nothing but bad luck so far.

"This time last year we were flying but we're a long way behind that this season, the juveniles have only just started winning, and then this happens.

"I've seen it many times but it's still tough. I know they're the tools of the trade but they're not just that, they become friends, and when I go in that barn and his head's not looking over the door, it's hard."

Yet, although Moore has had only 24 winners this season, in contrast to last season's personal best total of 91, he still struck an optimistic tone when looking to the rest of the campaign, with Harris's recent 24-length Leicester winner Perseus Way among an exciting young team.

"There's lots of nice horses out there still to run and you hope there's always something to look forward to," he added.

Read more from Gary Moore in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

Read this next:

Nicky Henderson: 'No-one's ducking and diving - nobody is frightened of anybody'

Stay ahead of the field with 50 per cent off the ultimate racing subscription. Enjoy the Racing Post digital newspaper and award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing. Plus, make informed betting decisions with our expert tips and form study tools. Head to the subscription page and select 'Get Ultimate Monthly', then enter the code WELCOME22 to get 50 per cent off your first three months.

First three payments will be charged at £19.98, subscription renews at full monthly price thereafter.

Customers wishing to cancel will need to contact us at least seven days before their subscription is due to renew.