Botox Has ran out a ready winner of the Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle, providing trainer Gary Moore and jockey Caoilin Quinn with a big-race double at Haydock on Saturday afternoon.
Just thirty minutes after Salver remained unbeaten over hurdles with an impressive performance in the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle, Gary Moore and Caoilin Quinn were both back in the winners' enclosure thanks to Botox Has routing his five rivals.
The improving Butch made the running on his first outing in Graded company and although the Olly Murphy-trained stuck to his task bravely, he proved no match for Gary Moore's Botox Has, who after travelling throughout the three-mile half-furlong Grade 2 prize, stayed on impressively under hands and heels riding to score by a widening nine lengths.
Butch rallied well to fill the runner-up spot, with a lengthy gap back to Paul Nicholls' Red Risk in third.
Paddy Power were seemingly impressed with the performance, cutting Botox Has from 50/1 to 16/1 for the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next month.
However, a tilt at the Grade 1 staying prize at Cheltenham looks unlikely with assistant trainer Josh Moore suggesting a flatter track is more suitable.
He said: "He's won very well, and I think he likes a flat track. For all he's won at Cheltenham and Fontwell in the past, I think a flat track sees the best of him, like at Wetherby and here at Haydock in a handicap hurdle last year.
"I think we'll probably bypass Cheltenham. He is in the Stayers', but I don't think he'll go there. We might consider the Grade One at Aintree and we may also consider going to France in the spring for the French Champion Hurdle, and there are other races for him there as well.
"We'll probably save him for Aintree first as I think the track there will suit him and we'll hope for a soft ground Aintree."
Salver slams Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle rivals
Salver proved he was the real deal with an effortless success in the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday.
The performance earned quotes of 10/1 for the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham from Paddy Power but Josh Moore insisted the horse's Festival participation would be very much ground dependent.
Josh Moore, assistant to his father, said: "He's done it nicely and it's sort of a case of he's done what he had to do.
"I think he can be better than he was today as he was quite wound up beforehand, which he isn't usually.
"It's proper heavy ground out there and they'll either go on it or they won't. As we saw at Chepstow, he goes on it, but Haydock heavy is completely different to anywhere else."
"I think he will only be going there if it is soft or worse than soft. You'd definitely want to be seeing soft in the going description anyway," he added.
"If it's a good ground Triumph, I can't see him running there. It's quite a big occasion for a young horse, there's Aintree afterwards and you've got the option of France as well.
"There's lots of options and we wouldn't be in a rush to make any decisions. He's a nice horse."
