Givega impresses with cosy Lingfield verdict

Gary Moore has plenty to look forward to with Givega having lit up a gloomy Lingfield on Thursday.

Off the track since winning a point-to-point for Colin Bowe in May 2021, the six-year-old, who is out of a sister to the great six-time Cheltenham Festival winner Quevega, was making a long-awaited Rules debut in the Follow @attheraces On Twitter Novices’ Hurdle.

And the performance the son of Authorized produced was well worth waiting for. Up with the pace throughout, he surged clear in the hands of Jamie Moore after the second last and pulled clear for a commanding 13-length success.

His handler is now keen to give him another outing in calmer waters before thinking of bigger and better things, with a preference for soft ground a potential headache when selecting the next assignment.

“He’s done it really well following a long time off a racecourse,” said Moore.

“He’s a horse I really like and the biggest problem I’m going have is his ground dependency as he copes with that ground better than most, which is why he looked as good as he did.

“He is a really nice horse, and it is just a question of where we go from here now. I’d like to find a nice, small race for him somewhere, then find something a bit better if he is capable.”

“He’s a chaser in the making definitely. He’s already won his point-to-point and next season he will be novice chasing.”

Givega’s success comes just over a week after Moore’s Authorised Speed opened his own hurdling account in style at the same venue, with both looking smart prospects for the current season and beyond.

When asked if he sees the pair as capable of running in Graded races, he added: “Please God they are. I don’t think there is a lot between them, and they are both by the same sire.”

There was further success for the Moore team on the Lingfield card when 5-6 favourite Walk In The Wild landed the concluding Sky Sports Racing HD Virgin 535 Handicap Chase.