Hurricane Pat Sweeps To Sandown Success For In-form Moore Team
Gary and Josh Moore's dream spell at Sandown continued Saturday when Hurricane Pat played himself into the Cheltenham Festival equation with a facile triumph in the opening Betfair Exchange Claremont Novices' Hurdle.
An excellent course-and-distance scorer last month, the five-year-old was sent 7-2 in the Listed event and with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's heavy favourite Sober Glory failing to measure up to his track record, Hurricane Pat was delegated saunter home to a five-and-a-half-length success over Dan Cheltenham winner Soldier Reeves.
Josh Moore stated: "He's won really remarkably and I was quite confident when we made the entry this was the best race on paper.
"It was a really excellent race on paper but he did an extremely good piece of work recently and that sufficed to bring him here. I was thinking he may desire more however the work was with the horse that won here the other day, Macktoad, and he kind of made me believe two miles would be for him.
"We constantly thought he may want better ground also, so today was a little a concern but Caoilin (Quinn, jockey) appeared to believe he was much better on this ground today.
"He was a good horse in 2015 however he has actually strengthened up a lot over the summer season and his mind has actually matured as well, he's taking whatever in his stride well. He won his 2 bumpers and we have actually been very patient with him and he's paid his method now over obstacles."
Hurricane Pat impressed at Sandown (John Walton/PA)
Hurricane Pat was presented into the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market at 25-1 by Paddy Power, with connections entitled to start dreaming of the future.
Moore added: "He's won a Noted race so he's clearly got potential. We'll see how he comes out of today due to the fact that he is a horse we can't over race.
"You have to think along the lines of the Supreme and whether or not that might be a bit much for him we'll discover out. We can definitely tailor towards that all the exact same.
"It's a shame the Tolworth isn't here and there is constantly Aintree (Formby Novices' Hurdle). If the Tolworth had actually been here we would certainly be here. He's won that so well though that I wouldn't remain in a rush to run once again."
Joe Tizzard's team are likewise in kind and his hot streak continued when 11-8 preferred Sunset Marquesa constructed on her Exeter go back to tape-record an emphatic six-and-a-half-length verdict in the Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares' Handicap Hurdle.
Tizzard stated: "She did it well and when the race cut up a bit I did expensive her to go and do that.
"It was remarkable and this was the ideal race today. She will get jacked up a few (pounds) and then we'll have a good look. I was believing driving up today if she goes and wins how I hope I don't have a plan, however I will in the early morning."
Hobbs and White will continue to outline a hurdling course with Kikijo after the improving 9-4 joint-favourite developed on his recent Cheltenham success with a hard-fought success in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
Hobbs said: "He's a bit uncommon similar to a horse like him you would be thinking about going newbie chasing next year, however he's already won a chase at Newbury in 2015 so that is not a choice.
"I expect having actually won two hurdle races he will probably run in another one. It gets harder now obviously and after winning two in a row, it's not frequently they win three. But we might simply have to try to discover another handicap hurdle somewhere on a stiff track with testing room like here.
"We may have blown his mark for the Final but he's only a young horse and might improve. The Pertemps Final wasn't always a strategy and there will be a great deal of Irish horses coming by and we might just have to take what we can.
"For this collaboration we quite potentially might run in the Final, but I would not be thinking with the most likely great ground in the spring it would be our main goal - he may run it though, why not."