Camping Ground romps to Fontwell National Spirit win

There was a stunning success for Sussex trainer and jockey Gary and Josh Moore in Fontwell's richest race of the season.
Camping Ground and connections after winning Fontwell's National Spirit HurdleCamping Ground and connections after winning Fontwell's National Spirit Hurdle
Camping Ground and connections after winning Fontwell's National Spirit Hurdle

Camping Ground went off at 9/1 for the father and son duo in the £80,000 totepool National Spirit Hurdle but destroyed his six rivals with a superb 29-length victory.

There was never really any doubt over the result for the whole of the last circuit with the seven-year-old way out in front and not giving the rest of the field any reason for hope.

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Le Rocher (9/2) trailed in second with the 2/1 joint favourite L'Ami Serge third.

Gary Moore immediately followed the success with a second as his other jump-jockey son Jamie won the totepool Supporting The Racehorse Sanctuary Novices' Hurdle on 5/1 chance Crystal Lad, ahead of Alan King's Sir Antony Browne.

Later the same duo did it again, completing a treble for the Horsham-based trainer with Larry, a 6-1 winner of the Collect totepool Winnings At Betfred Shops Maiden Open National Hunt Flat Race.

After the National Spirit triumph, the Moores said they had expected Camping Ground to do well but perhaps not that well. The horse is now likely to go to next month's Cheltenham Festival, though trainer Moore was unsure which race might be targeted at HQ.

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Earlier in the Fontwell card trainer Nicky Henderson - making a fairly rare visit to the track himself - was delighted to see Jeremiah McGrath ride Kilcrea Vale to victory in the toteplacepot Josh Gifford Memorial Novices Steeple Chase, the 10/11 favourite timing his run nicely to edge out As De Mee.

There was also a win for Dorset trainer Colin Tizzard as Tom O'Brien guided home Wizards Bridge, the 2/1 favourite, in the totequadpot Handicap Chase.

And just to show none of the top jumps trainers were to be left out of the Fontwell success stories, Paul Nicholls - who was also present - to see David Maxwell come in 26 lengths clear on 4/9 favourite Mon Parrain.

It was all good absorbing fare on an afternoon when grey skies and the threat of rain looked like it had kept the crowd a little lower than racecourse officials would have hoped for.

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The totepool Racecourse Debit Card Betting Handicap Hurdle went to the Paul Cowley-trained Seas of Green, ridden by Ciaran Gethings.

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