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 equation with a facile triumph in the opening Betfair Exchange Claremont Novices' Hurdle.


A remarkable course-and-distance scorer last month, the five-year-old was sent out off 7-2 in the Listed event and with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's heavy preferred Sober Glory failing to live up to his reputation, Hurricane Pat was delegated saunter home to a five-and-a-half-length success over Dan Skelton's Cheltenham winner Soldier Reeves.


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


"It was an extremely good race on paper however he did an extremely nice piece of work recently and that sufficed to bring him here. I was thinking he might desire additional but the work was with the horse that won here yesterday, Macktoad, and he kind of made me believe two miles would be for him.


"We always thought he might want much better ground too, 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 great horse last year however he has reinforced up a lot over the summer season and his mind has grown up as well, he's taking whatever in his stride nicely. He won his two bumpers and we've been extremely patient with him and he's paid his way now over hurdles."


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 begin imagining the future.


Moore included: "He's won a Noted race so he's undoubtedly got capacity. We'll see how he comes out of today since he is a horse we can't over race.


"You need to believe along the lines of the Supreme and whether that may be a bit much for him we'll learn. We can definitely gear towards that all the exact same.


"It's an embarassment the Tolworth isn't here and there is always Aintree (Formby Novices' Hurdle). If the Tolworth had been here we would absolutely be here. He's won that so well though that I would not remain in a rush to run once again."


Joe Tizzard's group are also in type and his hot streak continued when 11-8 preferred Sunset Marquesa built on her Exeter return to record an emphatic six-and-a-half-length decision in the Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares' Handicap Hurdle.


Tizzard said: "She did it nicely and when the race cut up a bit I did elegant her to go and do that.


"It was outstanding and this was the ideal race today. She will get jacked up a couple of (pounds) and after that we'll have a good appearance. I was believing increasing today if she goes and wins how I hope I do not have a strategy, 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 current Cheltenham success with a hard-fought success in the Handicap Hurdle.


Hobbs said: "He's a bit uncommon just like a horse like him you would be considering going novice chasing next year, however he's already won a chase at Newbury in 2015 so that is not an alternative.


"I expect having won 2 difficulty races he will probably run in another one. It gets harder now certainly and after winning two in a row, it's not too often they win 3. But we may simply have to try to find another handicap hurdle someplace on a stiff track with screening ground like here.


"We may have blown his mark for the Final however he's just a young horse and could enhance. The Pertemps Final wasn't necessarily a plan and there will be a lot of Irish horses coming by and we may just have to take what we can.


"For this collaboration we rather possibly might run in the Final, however I would not be thinking with the most likely excellent ground in the spring it would be our main aim - he might run it however, why not."