“I’VE never trained a horse as good as him before.”

The words of Gary Moore on Goshen who finally makes his much-touted reappearance today, and does so at the scene of his calamitous and freaky last flight fall in the Triumph Hurdle almost eight months to the day.

Speaking this week on a press call organised by Great British Racing, Moore said that all the talk of that infamous incident was boring him and instead preferred to build up his four-year-old and what is at stake today for his Champion Hurdle credentials.

They were big words from a trainer of a champion chaser and five-time Grade 1 scorer in Sire De Grugy. Goshen, for all his reputation, has yet to record even a listed win over hurdles.

“I think Goshen is better because he has more speed. Sire De Grugy had an unbelievable amount of speed, but he would never have been a Champion Hurdle horse.”

Moore has been picky with Goshen’s first race back and said he was desperate to run him but did admit that he was hoping for his stable star to have the “easiest race possible” for his comeback.

That appears unlikely because if today’s International Hurdle (3:00) lacks in true quality, it doesn’t in quantity with eight of the 10 rivals rated 152 or above and the other two are mares, Verdana Blue and Stormy Ireland, who come right into it with their 7lb allowance factored.

“You can expect a big run, they’ll have him to beat,” Moore said of Goshen. “It’ll tell us everything, if he can’t win on Saturday he shouldn’t be going for a Champion Hurdle and God knows what we’ll do with him.”

Earlier on the card, the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup (1:50) is the day’s showpiece and looks a wide open affair. Coole Cody will bid to do what many horses have failed to do this decade by completing a double in this contest and the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Indeed you have to go back to Exotic Dancer to find the last horse to manage that feat, and only two succeeded to do it prior to that.

The nine-year-old Master Tommytucker bids to defy a rating of 157 and is perhaps the one true potential Grade 1 horse in the field, although Windsor Avenue, Saint Sonnet and Al Dancer still have scope.

Irish representation comes in the form of Chatham Street Lad who is sent over by the irreplaceable Mick Winters (pictured), fresh from the impressive victory of his smart mare Sayce Gold at Cork last Sunday. Winters famously sent over Missunited to win the Group 3 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and if there was a substantial crowd at Prestbury Park today, a win for this eight-year-old could have potentially matched that occasion.

Nonetheless, it would still be another remarkable achievement for the Cork man and also a highly notable one for young rider Darragh O’Keeffe.

IT could be a big day for Sir Alex Ferguson today as not only are Man United hosting Man City in the 182nd Manchester Derby at 5:30 but he has two big chances in the feature races at Doncaster.

Ferguson is a part owner of both the juvenile hurdler Monmiral, who is odds-on to stay unbeaten in the Grade 2 Bet365 Summit Juvenile Hurdle (2:40), and the staying chaser Give Me A Copper, who makes his seasonal return in the Bet365 Handicap Chase (3:15).

Give Me A Copper got up for a last gasp win in the Badger Beers Silver Trophy at Wincanton last season, after which the Grand National was said to be his target. Speaking ahead of his reappearance today, Paul Nicholls wrote in his Betfair blog: “He’s in good form but can’t really handle deep ground which is why I pulled him out of Aintree last weekend when it turned heavy.

“He’s best on a flat track like Doncaster but I’ve got one eye on the weather again because rain there would affect his chances.”

Nicholls was more bullish on the chances of Monmiral, who impressed at Exeter and faces just four rivals, which include one from the Gordon Elliott yard, in the earlier Grade 2.

As for United, perhaps the most inconsistent team in the Premier League at present, who knows? But if you fancy Fergie to have his best day out since winning the league in his final term in charge, you can get about 65/1 on the treble.

Skelton bullish as Ashtown Lad steps up

DAN Skelton expects Ashtown Lad to take a “good bit of beating” today at Cheltenham today.

The Irish point-to-point graduate was beaten on his first couple of starts over hurdles, before making it third time lucky at Wetherby in late October.

He has since followed up with a dominant display in handicap company at Uttoxeter and takes on seven rivals in today’s Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (2:25).

“He carries some nice novice form and handicap form into this, which is helpful,” Skelton said.

“Three miles there won’t be a problem – he is a strong six-year-old. If it rains it won’t be a problem, but equally if it doesn’t rain that won’t be a problem as he is pretty versatile.

“He is not the sort of horse that will pull during a race. I think he will run his race and take a good bit of beating.”