Top horse racing trainer Gary Moore enjoyed a successful 2021/22 jumps season and he is firmly on track to enjoy another excellent campaign this time around.
The Sussex-based handler was an enemy of the bookmakers last term, firing home 91 winners on his way to netting more than £1.15 million in prize money.
The leading Irish betting sites will undoubtedly be fearful of Moore’s runners during the rest of the season, particularly when the major spring festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree are staged.
Read on as we take a look at five horses who could pick some big prizes for Moore between now and the end of the jumps season in the United Kingdom.
Authorised Speed
One of the most exciting prospects in Moore’s yard is Authorised Speed, who has racked up two hugely impressive victories at Lingfield and Sandown this season.
The son of Authorized was a decent bumper horse last term, finishing fifth in the Champion Bumper behind some future superstars at the Cheltenham Festival.
After recording a facile victory on his hurdling debut this season, the five-year-old produced a dominant display to defeat Nicky Henderson’s Immortal at Sandown.
A return to the Esher track for the Tolworth Hurdle in January is next on the agenda ahead of a possible return to Cheltenham in March.
GivegaÂ
Givega is another of Authorized’s offspring who may well have the potential to take high rank amongst this season’s novice hurdlers.
The six-year-old had not been since winning an Irish point-to-point in May 2021, but was made the 6/5 favourite for his UK debut at Lingfield last month.
He raced keenly behind the leader during the early part of the race, before being pushed out by jockey Jamie Moore for a comfortable 13-length victory.Â
Given that Givega is from the same bloodline as Quevega, a six-time Cheltenham Festival winner, he could develop into a pretty special talent.
Bo Zenith
Goshen’s last flight fall with the 2020 Triumph Hurdle at his mercy was one of the season’s biggest hard luck stories and still rankles Moore to this day.
However, he could gain redemption with well-bred French import Bo Zenith, who has already been backed for the race despite not running in the UK.
He was the winner of his only start over hurdles at Auteuil in April and is on track to reappear in the Finale Hurdle at Chepstow over the festive period.
Currently available at around 20/1 for the Triumph, those odds will be slashed if Bo Zenith lives up to expectations at the Welsh racecourse.
Mark of Gold
Mark of Gold made a winning reappearance in a two-mile handicap hurdle at Plumpton in October before stepping up in class the following month.
The five-year-old lined-up in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham, but could only finish seventh in a race that sparked plenty of controversy due a to messy start and omitted hurdles.
Mark of Gold put that run firmly behind him at Lingfield earlier this month, making headway on the home turn before powering clear on the run-in for a stylish eight-and-a-half length success.
Having contested a Grade 3 event on his penultimate outing, Mark of Gold is clearly a talented performer and it would be no surprise to see him win a big handicap at one of the spring festivals.
