Hurricane Pat Sweeps To Sandown Success For In-form Moore Team

Gary and Josh Moore's dream spell at Sandown advanced Saturday when Hurricane Pat played himself into the Cheltenham Festival formula with a facile success in the opening Betfair Exchange Claremont Novices' Hurdle.


A remarkable course-and-distance scorer last month, the five-year-old was dispatched 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 left to roam home to a five-and-a-half-length success over Dan Skelton's Cheltenham winner Soldier Reeves.


Josh Moore stated: "He's won extremely remarkably and I was quite positive when we made the entry this was the best race on paper.


"It was an extremely excellent race on paper however he did a very nice piece of work recently and that was enough to bring him here. I was thinking he may desire further however the work was with the horse that won here the other day, Macktoad, and he type of made me believe two miles would be for him.


"We constantly believed he might want much better ground as well, so today was a little a worry however Caoilin (Quinn, jockey) seemed to believe he was much better on this ground today.


"He was a nice horse in 2015 but he has actually strengthened up a lot over the summer season and his mind has matured as well, he's taking whatever in his stride perfectly. He won his 2 bumpers and we've been really patient with him and he's paid his way now over difficulties."


Hurricane Pat impressed at Sandown (John Walton/PA)


Hurricane Pat was introduced into the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market at 25-1 by Paddy Power, with connections entitled to begin imagining the future.


Moore added: "He's won a Noted race so he's certainly got potential. We'll see how he comes out these days 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 that may be a bit much for him we'll discover. We can certainly gear towards that all the 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 definitely be here. He's won that so nicely though that I wouldn't be in a rush to run once again."


Joe Tizzard's group are likewise in type 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 said: "She did it perfectly and when the race cut up a bit I did her to go and do that.


"It was outstanding and this was the ideal race today. She will get boosted a few (pounds) and after that we'll have a good look. I was believing increasing today if she goes and wins how I hope I don't have a strategy, but I will in the morning."


Hobbs and White will continue to plot a hurdling course with Kikijo after the improving 9-4 joint-favourite built on his current Cheltenham success with a hard-fought victory in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.


Hobbs said: "He's a bit unusual similar to a horse like him you would be thinking about going beginner chasing next year, however he's currently won a chase at Newbury last year so that is not an alternative.


"I expect having actually won two hurdle races he will probably run in another one. It gets more challenging now undoubtedly and after winning 2 in a row, it's not frequently they win 3. But we might just need to try to discover another handicap hurdle someplace on a stiff track with testing room like here.


"We might have blown his mark for the Final but he's just a young horse and could improve. The Pertemps Final wasn't always a strategy and there will be a lot of Irish horses coming over and we may simply have to take what we can.


"For this collaboration we rather possibly might run in the Final, but I would not be thinking with the most likely excellent ground in the spring it would be our primary goal - he may run it though, why not."