Tag Archive for: Josh Moore

Mark Of Gold makes the most of Personal Ambition slip

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Mark Of Gold made a winning debut over fences in an eventful renewal of the Howden Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot.

Although the winner of seven races over hurdles and three on the Flat, the Gary and Josh Moore-trained seven-year-old looked to have plenty on his plate making his fencing bow at Grade Two level and was an 11-2 outsider of four come the off.

Personal Ambition and Rare Edition were the two at the head of affairs for much of the two-mile-three-furlong journey, with an early mistake from 13-8 favourite Johnnywho quickly putting him on the back foot and he never really recovered.

After seeing off Rare Edition, Personal Ambition looked to have the upper hand over the staying-on Mark Of Gold on the approach to the final fence, but the leader dived badly at the obstacle, leaving jockey Ben Jones with both hands off the reins and he ultimately did well to keep the partnership intact.

Whether that error made the difference between winning and losing is uncertain, but it definitely cost Personal Ambition crucial momentum and left the door open for Mark Of Gold to claim the advantage and pass the post two and a quarter lengths to the good under Caoilin Quinn.

Having looked set to be tailed off at one stage, Johnnywho did make some late headway to beat a fading Rare Edition to third place.

Of the winner, Josh Moore said: “He’s a good horse, we were confident coming here. It’s a big thing to do, first time over fences around Ascot, it’s a tricky track to jump round.

“It was a small field and it was just like running in a normal novice chase, but you can’t get them anymore, you’d rather start here and give the horse a good experience.

“We’ve done that, he’s picked up a good prize in doing it. He is a good horse and I was quietly confident.”

Considering future plans, the joint-trainer added: “He’s a versatile horse, he happily switches back to the Flat, goes on slow ground, he’s competitive over hurdles and he’s obviously competitive over fences.

“He’s jumped so well around here today and that’s a big thing first time over fences.

“We’ll have to seriously look at plans over fences now because he’s taken to them so well. He made one mistake but he made the mistake he needed to help him learn.”

Ben Jones and Personal Ambition at Ascot
Ben Jones and Personal Ambition at Ascot (Steven Paston/PA)

When asked whether he felt the final fence mistake cost Personal Ambition victory, his trainer Ben Pauling said: “I think so, yes.

“It’s unfortunate as he jumped really well for him. He was just on absolutely no stride and how Ben stayed intact I do not know.

“He did pick up again, so I don’t think he was cooked, but that’s racing, you have to jump and he didn’t.”



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Soft ground key to Salver’s Ascot Hurdle challenge

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Josh Moore is keeping his fingers crossed for suitably soft ground to allow Salver to make his seasonal debut in the Howden Ascot Hurdle on Saturday.

The four-year-old was one of the star performers in the juvenile hurdling division last season, winning his first four races, including a 21-length demolition job in the Grade Two Finale Hurdle at Chepstow.

He rounded off his campaign by finishing best of the home team when third in the Triumph Hurdle behind the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Majborough and Kargese at the Cheltenham Festival, and connections are looking forward to his return – but underfoot conditions are viewed as vital.

Salver with connections after winning the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock
Salver with connections after winning the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock (Ashley Iveson/PA)

Moore, who trains Salver in partnership with his father Gary, said: “He may run if there’s enough rain. It looks like there might be, so he’ll probably be declared and we’ll go from there.

“He’s a good horse on bad ground and it needs to be bad ground for him to be anywhere near his best form. He’s a good horse anyway, but to be at his best, he needs it to be wet.

“The four-year-old season is always hard, especially when you’re rated 143, and for him it’s very important he runs on bad ground.

“There’s the Gerry Feilden at Newbury the following week, which is also a possible plan, but the likelihood is it will only be good to soft ground there, which is not slow enough for him.”

The Moores are also hoping to be represented in the other Grade Two on Saturday’s card, the Copybet 1965 Chase, with Le Patron in line to make his comeback.

The six-year-old impressed in winning his first three starts over fences last season, including a Grade One success in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown, but he was well beaten in the Scilly Isles at the same track next time before being pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival.

“Again, he’ll run if it’s soft enough. I think they’re due a bit of rain on Saturday morning, which is why we’re hoping to run on Saturday and not Friday,” Moore added.

“They’re due a bit of dry today and tomorrow, so hopefully it will rain enough for him to run, as he is a soft ground horse as well.

“He’s in better shape now than he was in the spring. He seems well and Saturday would be a nice starting point for him anyway.

“He was well handicapped early on last season and conditions suited him. It’s going to be tough for him this year, rated 146, but we’ve got to start somewhere and he would have started before now if it had rained, but it hasn’t. We’ve got to run him when the ground is right.”



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Miller Spirit out to extend winning run at Doncaster

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Josh Moore is hopeful Miller Spirit can give a good account of himself in the Virgin Bet November Handicap at Doncaster despite the ground being less than ideal.

The gelded son of Australia won the Jump Jockeys Derby under David Noonan on soft ground at Epsom in September and went on to complete a double in the Apprentices’ Derby in the hands of Alec Voikhansky on heavy going later that same month.

He followed that up, again on heavy ground, by landing a Newbury handicap late last month.

The four-year-old has been kept busy this season and has got his nose in front on five of his nine starts.

While he has won on ground with good in the description, Moore would prefer to run him on a slower surface.

Moore, who jointly holds the training licence with his father Gary, said: “He’s rated 97 and he’s gone up (7lb from the win at Newbury). He’s in great form, so we’d like to think he can run well.

“The negative is that he has enjoyed running on bad ground; he has won on decent surfaces but his best performances are when the ground is bad. It’s soft there but it’s not going to be terrible ground.

“He’s done remarkably well, he’s won five races this season from good ground to heavy ground. As his mark’s gone up, it’s mostly gone up when it’s been on the heavy ground. That’s probably why it has gone up so much but he’s become a consistent horse.

“It’s going to be hard work for him but he’s in good form. He’s working well, so hopefully he can give a good account of himself.”

The Moores are contemplating a campaign over obstacles, as Miller Spirit has shown a talent for jumping when working at home.

Moore added: “We know he jumps well, so we’ll have a talk with the owner to see if we might run him in a novice hurdle, because he does jump well.

“I remember basically he had been frustrating all season long last year, he was obviously just a bit immature and we schooled him thinking maybe we might run him over hurdles.

“And he went and won after we schooled him at Sandown and we thought well maybe we’ll just leave him on the Flat. He’s had a good season this season after jumping, so maybe jumping is what he needs.”

Moore is hopeful that stablemate Kotari can take his place at Town Moor.

The five-year-old has won three times this year but needs three to come out at the declaration stage to earn a place in the maximum 23-runner race.

He will be stepping back up to a mile and a half at Doncaster after running over 10 furlongs last time out at Leicester.

Moore said: “He ran well at Newbury first run back after a break in the Autumn Cup. He didn’t run bad and (jockey) Hector (Crouch) was happy with him at Leicester as well.

“He thought a step back to a mile and a half would be what he needs, so hopefully he gets in and he’s working well, so all being well he gets in the race.

“He’s won on heavy, he’s won on good to firm but we’d rather it was on the slower side for him if I’m honest, but he’s versatile.”



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Josh Moore joining father Gary on training licence

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Josh Moore is the newest name to the training ranks as he joins his father Gary on the licence.

Moore has played a key role in the Lower Beeding operation since retiring from race-riding following serious injury, but will now officially become one half of the father and son training combination, with Platinum Prince scheduled to be the duo’s first runner at Lingfield on Thursday.

Moore senior also suggested further changes to the arrangements at the family’s Cisswood Racing Stables could be on the cards, with the 67-year-old admitting there will come a time when he hands control to both Josh and his brother Jamie, who hung up his own riding boots in February.

“Josh is joining me on the licence, but hardly anything will change at home,” he explained.

“It had to be done because Josh would have had to go and resit his modules again (if he didn’t).

“It will nice be for him to be on the licence and it won’t be long until another one comes on and one comes off. That’s what will happen and I hope so, but there’s a lot to put into place first.”

He continued: “I couldn’t have carried on without them (Josh and Jamie) and the rest of the team. It’s not all about me, it’s about everyone else as well.”



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