GOSHEN (Gary/Jamie Moore) has long been an enigma, but while he can be headstrong and wayward, he was back to his best in winning the Listed Contenders Hurdle by a wide margin having led or disputed almost throughout.

The 11/5 joint favourite was kept company by Global Citizen until approaching the penultimate flight, but that rival was beginning to weaken when he landed on top of the flight.

It was market Rival Guard Your Dreams (Nigel/Sam Twiston/Davies) who ended up getting closest, albeit with a gaping 15 lengths separating the pair at the line.

Any hopes that Goshen would head to Cheltenham for another crack at the Champion Hurdle were quickly dashed when he was removed from that and the Stayers’ at the subsequent forfeit stage.

Goshen managed to handle the New Course when an unlucky loser of the 2020 Triumph Hurdle, but couldn’t cope with the turns on the Old Course when well beaten behind Honeysuckle last year, and connections have wisely decided to keep him to right-handed tracks after he again had steering problems at Lingfield last time.

Leading hurdler

This performance saw Goshen assessed as the leading hurdler in Britain on official ratings, and he’s likely to head to Wincanton for the Kingwell Hurdle for his next outing, where he is likely to meet Adagio.

Long term, he may go chasing next autumn, and there are plenty of graded races here and at Ascot which would suit him.

Guard Your Dreams hasn’t built on his win in the International Hurdle, and needs to step back up in trip, while Song For Someone is becoming temperamental (again had to be ridden to set off), and looks one to avoid on the evidence of recent runs.

On an excellent day for Venetia Williams and stable jockey Charlie Deutsch, they added the Grade 3 Heroes Handicap Hurdle to her haul courtesy of the progressive Green Book, who jumped the last two flights more fluently than the challenging Beauport (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Jordan Nailor) in a finish dominated by that pair of promising young stayers.

The 6/1 shot was challenged hard up the straight, but held on gamely to win by three-parts of a length. Dans Le Vent (Evan/Issy Williams) is proving consistent, and finished third, just over eight lengths behind the winner.

A useful flat stayer, Green Book won twice over hurdles before Christmas, and was most unlucky to be brought down at an early stage of the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton last time. He was clearly none the worse for that tumble, but it’s hard not to feel sorry for young Ned Fox, the 10lb claimer who was denied his 15 minutes of fame by that mishap.

Beauport ran a stormer, improving as expected for this first try at three miles, having won the EBF Final at this track last spring.

He might well have won, but he made his only two errors when challenging at the last two hurdles, and although he kept battling, the lost momentum may well have been crucial.

He is open to further improvement as a stayer, and looks the type to do really well when put to fences next season, a strong, resolute sort in the old-fashioned chaser’s mould.

Green Book was the winner of the Chester Plate (the Chester Cup consolation) last May, and while Williams is contemplating running him in the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett next month, she has another trip to the Roodee firmly in mind for the son of Authorized.