Botox Has lands emotional National Spirit win for Josh Moore

Botox Has provided jockey Josh Moore with a highly emotional victory in the Grade Two National Spirit at Fontwell on Sunday.

Moore returned to the saddle last month after recovering from a serious spinal injury suffered in a fall from Botox Has in October last year.

Six-year-old Botox Has, who secured a double on the day for owners John and Yvonne Stone, was sent off as the 20/1 outsider of six runners, but was given a fine ride by Josh to see off Olly Murphy’s Lingfield Winter Million winner Brewin’upastorm.

Botox Has stalked early leader Allmankind throughout and joined Paul Nicholls’ 9/4 favourite Monmiral – returning for the first time since suffering an injury in the Fighting Fifth – with a challenge turning for home as Dan Skelton’s front-runner quickly gave way and was soon pulled up.

Brewin’upastorm came to the party just as Monmiral’s effort petered out and looked the most likely winner at the last hurdle, but Moore and Botox Has rallied for victory, with Guard Your Dreams sticking on for third ahead of Monmiral and a disappointing Darver Star.

Reflecting on the win, Josh Moore told Sky Sports Racing: “It does mean a lot to win on this horse again in a big race. Last time I had on these colours they were getting cut off me.

“I thought I sounded like an idiot beforehand when I said I was hopeful because we were wrong at the weights but I know this horse.

“I won a Juvenile [Hurdle] on him round here and was gutted he didn’t make it to the Triumph because I thought he was going to have a chance.

“Last year he was just a four-year-old carrying a lot of weight in handicaps and it’s hard on horses.”

Gary Moore, Botox Has’ trainer and Josh’s father, said: “It means a lot. He is my son, he is my right-hand man, well, they both are. Jamie and Josh are both my right-hand men.

“What happened to him was horrible and it was two ways whether he would come back or not. It would not have surprised me if he had not packed up and taken over the yard.”

Josh Moore later landed his own double on the day as Legal Rights justified 3/1 favouritism to win the Royalequestrian Bedding And Manor Elite Horsebox Handicap Hurdle.

Josh’s brother Jamie was also in the winner’s enclosure at Fontwell as Nassalam gave connections another success with victory in the Land & Power Ltd. Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

Wearing blinkers for the first time, the 8/15 favourite was not always fluent but battled hard to see off Gavin Cromwell’s Railway Hurricane and Nicholls’ Brewers Project.

The five-year-old has now won three of his five starts over fences and is likely to be put away for the rest of the season.

Jamie later beat his brother Josh as 1/5 favourite Jerrash made hard work of seeing off stablemate Make My Day in the Manor Elite Horsebox Novices’ Hurdle, giving Gary Moore a four-timer.