'We've had this race in mind' - conditions to suit outsider of three Goshen

Sunday 2.25 Lingfield
Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Hurdle | 2m3f | 5yo+ | ITV4/Sky

The public’s fascination with locally-trained Goshen remains intact despite two Ascot defeats this season.

Plenty of excuses have been made for his five defeats over hurdles since unseating Jamie Moore at the final flight when ten lengths clear in the 2020 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

However, he did look an exceptionally good horse once again when destroying Song For Someone by 22 lengths in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle last February on heavy terrain, and it could be that the ground is of paramount importance to him nowadays.

It is easy to argue he hasn’t enjoyed ideal conditions so far this season and, if heavy ground is the key to unlocking that star quality many believe he still possesses, this small-field race on deep going could be ideal for him.

As such, odds of 3-1 look highly attractive over his two more-fancied rivals for a race Gary Moore, who is in a class of his own round Lingfield, will doubtless have targeted for some time.

Brewin’upastorm, winner of four of his ten races over hurdles, is 9lb superior to Goshen on official ratings, but heavy ground can be a great leveller.

While Olly Murphy’s runner acts well on soft, whether he will be quite the same force on Lingfield ‘heavy’ must be open to conjecture.

He held every chance last time out when crashing out at Cheltenham's final flight in the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle won by Stormy Ireland.

Irish raider Darver Star arrives on the back of a 20-length Punchestown success, his best performance since finishing runner-up in a Grade 1 novice chase at Leopardstown in December 2020.

Gavin Cromwell's ten-year-old is unbeaten in two starts on heavy ground and has one standout formline when beaten just half a length by Honeysuckle in the 2020 Irish Champion Hurdle.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

Brewin'upastorm bidding to bounce back

From electric victories to agonising defeats, there is never a dull moment with Brewin'upastorm.

In two runs this season, the classy hurdler has provided a snapshot of a career in which he has delighted and frustrated in equal measure.

On his comeback at Aintree in November he gave weight and a comprehensive beating to his rivals to earn his joint-best Racing Post Rating of 160.

But then last time in the Relkeel Hurdle, he was strongly challenging winner Stormy Ireland before falling at the last - the same flight he came to grief at when leading in a Grade 2 novice at Cheltenham in 2019.

Brewin'upastorm made an impressive winning comeback at Aintree in NovemberCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Olly Murphy has since given Brewin'upastorm some extensive work in preparation for this new £100,000 contest.

"He's shown no ill effects from his tumble at Cheltenham and has done plenty of schooling and work with Laura Collett since," the trainer said.

"The small field is going to suit him well and the slow track will hopefully play to his strengths. It's fantastic prize-money and after his unfortunate mishap last time, it would be a great tonic."

What they say

Gary Moore, trainer of Goshen
We've had this race in mind purposely because it will be the first time he'll get the ground he really likes. Conditions will be a massive plus to him. He's going the wrong way round, but let's hope we can overcome that. He's quite capable of going left-handed - he's won twice that way aside from his run in the Triumph Hurdle - but, of course, it is a concern. He's run twice this season, first time he was pretty good I thought and then I ran him with a lot of weight and it didn't quite work out. Hopefully, you'll see a different horse here.

Gavin Cromwell, trainer of Darver Star
He goes there in good nick. The ground is looking like being fairly testing so we'll see how he gets on, although he has won on ground that may be similar at Limerick before. He has an entry for the Stayers' Hurdle and we'll chat with the owners after this. He also has the Boyne Hurdle at Navan, as well as Aintree and Fairyhouse as possibilities, so we have lots of options in terms of where we could end up going with him.
Reporting by Andrew Dietz

Sunday's race previews:

3.15 Thurles: 'We hope a clear round will be enough' - Willie Mullins looks for Allaho repeat

3.00 Lingfield: 'He should be bang there' - which trainer fancies his chances in Fleur De Lys?

3.35 Lingfield: Look for heavy-ground specialists or 'swimmers' in Surrey National

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