Soccer

Gary Moore looking to make history at Ascot with Goshen

Top-weight Goshen is on course for the £105,000 Grade 3 Betfair Exchange Trophy, one of the highlights on Saturday 18th December.

Gary Moore's stable star is chasing a piece of history in the near two-mile handicap, with no top-weight having been successful since the race was first run at Ascot in 2001.
Goshen burst on to the scene as a juvenile hurdler two seasons ago and posted his best performance so far in Wincanton's Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle in February, when he trounced Song For Someone by 22 lengths.
After struggling behind Honeysuckle at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals, the five-year-old finished fourth on his seasonal return in the Grade 2 Coral Hurdle at Ascot on 20th November.

"The plan is to run Goshen this weekend," said Moore. 

"We have obviously spoken about the Christmas Hurdle, but I think the ground is going to be more suitable for him at Ascot than Kempton."
"We'll go to Ascot, see what happens, and then we can take a view on Kempton afterwards. It is unlikely he will do both but we'll take it one race at a time.
"He came out of the Coral Hurdle really well and we have been very pleased with him since. He is just pretty ground dependant and hopefully the ground stays as it is.
"Obviously, giving a lot of weight away in a handicap such as this is not going to be easy but, in my mind, he should be very competitive off this mark. I would be very hopeful of a big run, anyway."

Goshen is an 11/1 chance with Planet Sport Bet, with the market headed by JP McManus' No Ordinary Joe, who is aiming to give trainer Nicky Henderson a record fifth success in the race, following Chauvinist, Jack The Giant, Sentry Duty and Brain Power.

Other leading contenders among the 16 entries include Grade 3 Greatwood Handicap Hurdle victor West Cork and Samarrive, who bolted up in a Listed handicap hurdle at Sandown Park earlier this month.

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