Goshen set to attempt fences next season following dominant Contenders Hurdle victory, says owner Steve Packham | Racing News

Recent Contenders Hurdle winner Goshen is set to tackle the larger obstacles next season with more opportunities over fences for the enigmatic six-year-old.

The Gary Moore-trained gelding bounced right back to form last weekend with a dominant display at Sandown, seeing off Grade Two winners Guard Your Dreams and Song For Someone in the process.

He could now return to Wincanton in an attempt to defend his Kingwell Hurdle crown in under two weeks before a spell on the flat, with the Cheltenham Festival out of the equation.

A novice campaign over fences then awaits later this year according to owner Steve Packham, with more options going right-handed over the larger obstacles.

“That’s the plan after this season,” Packham told Sky Sports Racing. “There’s very few opportunities for him right-handed over hurdles and there seems to be lots more over fences at the right-handed tracks like Kempton and Ascot at the distance.

“Jamie and Gary think he will get further in time but that’s the plan for next season.

“Because there’s so few opportunities between now and the end of the season, the flat is where we might go.

“I spoke to Gary this morning and we’ve scratched him from both races at Cheltenham today so the only real possibility is Punchestown but the ground will have to be soft really.”

Goshen is still remembered by many for his dramatic final-flight fall under Jamie Moore in the 2020 Triumph Hurdle when having the race at his mercy, but he has struggled to get back to that form going left-handed since that day.

That includes hanging badly in the Champion Hurdle and more recently at Lingfield during the Winter Million Festival, with Packham adding that he won’t be seen going that way round again.

“Gary has said many times, if you see him at home, he’s just so relaxed and you’d never believe what he’s like on the racecourse,” he added.

“Everybody seems to love him but it’s just one of those things – he just won’t go left-handed!

“We’ve left no stone unturned – we’ve had body scans, bone scans and everything. It’s just his character unfortunately but I’m not complaining.

“He’s given me so many joys but he’s only six so there’s a lot of opportunities for him going forward right-handed in the future.

“For days like Saturday, it’s just incredible.”