Moore back in business with local double
The Brighton trainer has struggled for form in February after a bug took hold in the yard. But with March and some of the season’s biggest races on the way, things are looking better after White On Black and Twenty Degrees both found the winner’s enclosure.
Champion jockey Tony McCoy’s mount, Liathroidisneachta, was sent off the 2-5 favourite for the Wells Express Maiden Hurdle but had to settle for second place behind White On Black.
The favourite had hit the front going well before the third-last flight but never managed to put much distance between himself and his rivals. And when joined at the last, Jonjo O’Neill’s charge failed to keep as straight a line on the run to the last as the Philip Hide-ridden winner and went down by three-quarters of a length.
“I bought him from Christian von Der Recke and I hoped he might be all right,” said Moore.
“I only had him a month before he ran at Leicester at the start of the month and that probably came a bit too quick for him. He wouldn’t want the ground as tacky as this ideally.”
Moore then made it a double and sent out 46th winner of the season when Twenty Degrees outfought the frustrating Mystical Star for the John Smith’s Novices’ Handicap Chase.
The pair had the race between themselves from the home turn but just as Mystical Star looked to have got the upper hand over the last, he failed to accelerate away and Twenty Degrees rallied close home to get back up for a half-length verdict under Moore’s son Jamie.
“We had 48 winners last season and that was our best score so it would be great to beat that by the end of the week,” said the trainer.
“They have been a bit under the weather for a couple of weeks, scoping dirty and the bloods haven’t been good. And when you get a stable like ours and it’s in the air then soon they all get it.
“But although it hasn’t finished yet we’ve done well to get it over with as quick as we have with Cheltenham on the way.”
Moore may run Tikram in the Vodafone Gold Cup at Newbury this weekend after pulling the gelding out of Saturday’s Racing Post Chase at Sandown on account of the sticky ground.
While fellow Cheltenham Festival entry Welcome Stranger is set to make his hurdling debut at Ludlow later this week in a novice event and Moore hopes he will be going on to better things in the future.
Mystical Star’s rider Leighton Aspell did not have to wait long to gain compensation for his narrow defeat when Up At Midnight made most in the John Smith’s Mares’ Only Handicap Hurdle.
Carly Bay did best of the chasing pack and may have got in a blow had she not lost her footing on the home turn when looking a live threat. She eventually had to settle for second place, six lengths adrift of the winner.
Bring Me Sunshine outstayed his rivals to take the opening event for the father-and-son team of trainer Colin Tizzard and jockey Joe.
When McCoy took up the running aboard the well-backed Quartier Latin before the third-last, he looked to have made a winning move. But his mount made a bad mistake at the second-last flight which allowed the winner and Willy The Slip to rejoin the leader.
And it was Bring Me Sunshine, a 6-1 chance, who found most to assert and hold the late challenge of favourite Palm Island by four lengths.
“He’s an athleic sort of horse so we thought we’d try and win a hurdle race with him before we go chasing,” said Tizzard snr.
“He is a half-brother to Super Tactics and he looks as if he is going to make a nice jumper.”
Tallow Bay snatched victory from an impossible-looking position in an incident-filled THB British Equestrian Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase. Some 10 lengths clear over the final fence, Spring Grove looked home and hosed under Ian Chanin. But suddenly the distress signals started to tell and the staying-on Tallow Bay appeared from nowhere to snatch the spoils.
