Givega expected to get Imperial Cup call up

Givega is poised to return to Sandown for a crack at the Betfair Imperial Cup having shown his true colours when bouncing back to his best at the Esher venue recently.

Gary Moore’s seven-year-old, who is out of a sister to the great six-time Cheltenham Festival winner Quevega, created a real buzz when winning his first two hurdling outings in the manner of a top-class operator and by a combined 18 lengths.

However, he blotted his copybook when sent off favourite, upped in both trip and grade, for the Grade Two Leamington Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick in January and was left with somewhat of a point to prove.

Returned to calmer waters at Sandown earlier this month, Givega was back on form as he made all in the hands of Niall Houlihan while giving 9lb and a seven-and-a-half-length beating to runner-up Immortal.

Raised 4lb to a mark of 133 for that victory – and with connections keen to swerve the Cheltenham Festival – Moore is now eyeing a tilt at the prestigious £100,000 handicap hurdle on March 11 that precedes the Prestbury Park showpiece the following week.

“He’s a horse I like a lot, he’s a good horse,” said Moore.

“I was really happy with him (at Sandown). He got a fairly soft lead in front and jumped well, he’s a chaser in the making. I know he’s already seven years old, but he’s next year’s horse really and he will stay further than two miles, he will definitely get further.

“He definitely won’t go to Cheltenham. The plan is to go back to Sandown for the Imperial Cup.

“It’s a shame he went up (in the handicap) for the other day, but if he hadn’t have gone up, he might not have got in I suppose.”