Since he took over the licence from his father Dan in the late 1970s, Arthur Moore has been at the top of his profession and, while his numbers are down, he consistently sends out a steady stream of winners.
As we near the end of another campaign, Arthur could be double handed in the Irish National courtesy of Home Farm and Pass The Hat. He has won the National twice before with Feathered Gale in 1996 and more recently in 2011 with Organisedconfusion.
Home Farm ran a fine race in the corresponding event 12 months ago when on just his third completed start over fences he finished third, beaten just three lengths by the more experienced Liberty Counsel. The seven-year-old will race off a 5lb higher mark this year, but on drier ground, the son of Presenting must go there a genuine contender.
“We have had a steady flow of winners and the horses have been running well all season. We won a nice pot at Leopardstown with Pass The Hat and Home Farm will represent us well in The Irish Grand National,” Arthur stated.
“We have a few nice two-years-olds for the flat and they include a filly called Sandy Times. I have a nice five-year-old horse from a good family by Heron Island who is nearly ready to run. I have a very nice two-year-old colt by first season sire Urban Poet who I like and hopefully he’ll do well for us on the flat this year.
“David Casey has been riding a good bit for us this year and we will continue to use him. Davy Russell has been lucky for us and he along with Robbie Colgan will get their share of opportunities. Gareth Malone is our conditional and he is good value for his 7lbs claim,” he added.
ARQUEBUSIER
4yo b g NH: 7
Discover d’Auteuil – Djurjura
Mrs A.L.T. Moore
He had his first start at Wexford, but it was a bit unfair on him. I thought the ground would have been a bit softer and they went very fast but he learned a lot and he is a nice horse. We will try and get another run into him before the end of the season.
BACK OFF MATE
6yo b g F: 3252- NH: -2176451
Old Vic – Flyhalf
Marcus Beresford
He is pretty versatile and was paced a few times on the flat including the amateur Derby at the Curragh. He has won over hurdles and fences and he did it well under a big weight last Sunday. The ground was a bit softer than ideal for him and he will run under all codes during the summer. We don’t need to run him on bad ground again and we’ll wait for the ground to dry out before he runs again. He is very sound and adaptable and he is a very nice horse to have. The conditional riders’ handicap hurdle at Punchestown is an option for him but we are very open minded as to where he will go next.
BALLYCAHANE
5yo b g NH: 7
Flemensfirth - Laughing Lesa
Peter Molony
He is a nice big backward horse and I think he should come on a good bit for his first run. He will go for a bumper and I’d like to think that he will run a good race the next day but he is a horse for next season as he is big and backward. He looks a nice type.
DAN’S ROLLS
6yo b g NH: 0P696
Croco Rouge - Angelas Choice
Mrs Emer O’Brien
He has run some respectable races and he will mix it over hurdles and fences next winter. I have to run him at Navan today as he has to go left-handed. I will look for a novice chase for him before the end of the season. Hopefully he’ll pay his way next season.
FEVER PITCH
8yo b g NH: -30679
Dushyantor - Stormey Tune
J.P. McManus
He will be running through the summer and I think he should pay his way. He had a wind operation last summer but he was a bit slow to find his form. I am hoping that he is back to himself now and hopefully he will pay his way.
GENTLEMAN DUKE
6yo b g F: /802204/ NH: -0103215807
Bachelor Duke – Housekeeping
J.P. McManus
He has won a couple of races for us this season. He has struggled a bit on the heavy ground lately and I am hoping that the ground will suit and he will run in the novice handicap chase at Fairyhouse. He gets further than two miles as well so that opens up more options for him.
GOLDEN HERON
6yo b g NH: U008-32
Heron Island - Dear As Gold
Stephen Haughey
He was second over hurdles last year but he sustained a fracture to a hind leg so we had to stop with him. He is back again now and he likes top of the ground and he should pay his way during the summer. He will jump a fence at some stage.
HANNAH’S MAGIC
3yo ch f F: 0237430-
Lomitas - Cool Storm
William F. Flood
She was placed in three of her seven starts to date and she likes an ease in the ground. She will run away on the flat again this season and she is a nice filly with a good attitude and hopefully she will pay her way this year.
HARLEYS HARLEY
4yo b f F: 061613/990-
Cockney Rebel -Signella
William F. Flood
She had a bit of a disaster of a year last season. It was late when we got her going and then things went wrong for her, but we will start her off at Leopardstown on Sunday. We are hoping that she will have a good season and she seems to be in good form.
HOME FARM
7yo b g F: -357
Presenting – Tynelucy
C. Jones
He has been a bit unfortunate this year. He ran a lovely race on his first run but then he scoped bad before Christmas when we wanted to run him in a big chase at Cheltenham. He ran a blinder under a big weight in The Paddy Power. He didn’t get the run of the race that day but I was still very happy with him. He was in the process of running a nice race at Leopardstown but he got tired from the third last.
He may have been a bit short going there and we may have made too much use of him on the day. He will go back to Fairyhouse for the National and I would have thought that he has improved since last year – his run in The Paddy Power would suggest that he has. He was third in the National last year and if he goes back there in the same type of form, he would have to go there with a big shout. He doesn’t want it too soft and the better the ground the better for him.
HOP IN
7yo b g NH: /2-221339
Flemensfirth - Prowler
C. Hanbury
He has been very consistent. He ran a bit below his best the last day at Clonmel and the combination of bad ground and the step up to two and a half miles just caught him out. Up to then, he had either won or been placed in his last seven starts. I think he’ll get two and a half miles on better ground and we’ll try him again over fences in a couple of weeks’ time. He should continue to pay his way.
LINNEL
9yo b g NH: -38530
Moscow Society - The Last Bank
R. Donworth & E. Sackville
He disappointed us a bit last Sunday but before that he ran a nice race in a hunters’ chase at Fairyhouse. He will now go for one of the banks race at Punchestown.
MIRACLE AT MEDINAH
5yo b g NH: 82
Kayf Tara – Noisetine
Mrs A.L.T. Moore
He was just touched off in a point-to-point last week and he will have a wind operation and be left off for the summer. We will more than likely go straight to chasing with him next season and he should make into a lovely chaser.
MITEBEALL FORLUCK
6yo b g NH: 7-0880614
Westerner – Iborga
C. Hanbury
He is very ground dependant. He showed nothing on bad ground but once he got a bit of nice ground, he has run a lot better. He won well at Clonmel and he ran a blinder on his first run in a handicap at Leopardstown. He finished upsides Savello the last day and if he gets into the race, he will go for the two-mile novice handicap chase at Fairyhouse. It is a nice race worth €50,000 and I might have three in it (Gentleman Duke, Treat Yourself). He will get further than two miles.
ONTOPOFTHEWORLD
5yo ch g NH: P42
Desert King -Zaffre
Mrs A.L.T. Moore
He looks a nice horse and he has been placed in two maiden hurdles. He has a bit of toe and I think he will make into a real nice handicapper. He won’t be a top class horse but he will pay his way well in his own grade. He is a good model of a horse from an Aga Khan family and he jumps very well. He will run again before the end of the season and he won’t mind goodish ground.
PASS THE HAT
7yo ch g NH: -P915681
Karinga Bay - Moor Spring
M. Beresford & A. Keatinge
It was lovely to win that nice pot with him at Leopardstown. He can’t handle the heavy ground and when conditions are in his favour, he is a useful horse. He will be kept on the go for the summer and the probability is if the ground is good, then he’ll run in the National at Fairyhouse. If he missed Fairyhouse, we have a nice option for him with the novice handicap chase at Punchestown over two miles and five.
His best race was over two miles and five at Leopardstown but I think he’ll get further and his pedigree would suggest that he will. He jumps very well and he has a relaxed style of racing which will help him as well. He stayed on well on ground that was too soft for him in The Troytown at Navan. The Galway Plate is an option for him later on this year.
POSITIVE VIBES
5yo ch g F: /241d1558- NH: 686-060
Nayef - Steeple
Patrick John McCarthy
He has been frustrating. When things go right for him he should be able to pay his way but we’ll give him another chance at Gowran next weekend and see after that. He has been difficult at the stalls and he has yet to really take to hurdling so we’ll decide what we’ll do with him after the weekend.
RAGGEE
3yo b f F: 090-
Ad Valorem - Recast
Fergus Jones
She ran three times on the flat and has quite a low rating but she works nicely at home so hopefully she will pay her way on good ground during the summer.
SABROCLAIR
5yo b g NH: 7-0P
Robin Des Champs - Malicka Madrick
C. Jones
He is a nice horse but he has been quite keen and the penny hasn’t really dropped with him yet. He has picked up a hairline fracture in his cannon bone since his last run so he will be off for a while. We hope that he will make into a nice horse and he is very much a chaser in the making.
SEA BEAT
4yo ch g NH: 451
Beat Hollow - Maritima
C. Jones
My son J.D. bought him well last year out of Juddmonte and he is a lovely horse. He didn’t run on the flat and he ran a blinder on his first run at Christmas and he has won well since at Naas. He didn’t make the cut for The Fred Winter but that may have been for the better and we will run him in a mile and a half flat race at Gowran in a week’s time. He will go for a handicap hurdle at Punchestown and then we’ll give him a break and bring him back for the autumn. All his runs have been on soft ground but I’d say he’ll handle better ground.
TALBOT ROAD
6yo b g NH: -3250
Old Vic - Over The Glen
John Patrick Byrne
He was unfortunate not to win at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day and he got going too late in the Leopardstown Chase. That was only his third run over fences and his first run in a handicap. That was a very good experience for him. However, he has now met with a setback and won’t run again this season.
THE TRACTOR MAN
4yo ch g
Flemensfirth - Sadie’s Pet
Stephen Hemstock
He is a three-parts brother to Imperial Call and he will start off at the weekend. He will make into a nice horse next season. There isn’t a four-year-old bumper until Punchestown and I am firing him in a bit at the deep end but he is ready to run. He is a nice horse for the future. We’ll see how Sunday goes and I might try and get another run into him before the end of the season.
TREAT YOURSELF
7yo b g NH: -4052213
Beat Hollow – Cartesian
Liam Breslin
He is a very consistent horse and is another that struggles on bad ground. He was a respectable third in a valuable chase at Gowran and before that he won very well at Leopardstown. He got a 10lb penalty for that but he was well entitled to get that. He won easy that day and his penalty means that he will now get into better races. He has taken very well to fences. He will go to Fairyhouse for the novice handicap chase on April 6th. He would appreciate better ground and he ran throughout the summer last year but he won’t run on fast ground. As soon as the ground goes, we’ll give him a little break and we’ll probably try him over hurdles again at some stage.