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Gary Moore-trained star Botox Has appears unlikely to throw his hat into the Stayers’ Hurdle ring at the Cheltenham Festival despite registering a wide-margin victory in the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.

The eight-year-old has been a fine servant to his connections, with two wins at Cheltenham, a National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell and a Grade Three handicap win at Haydock last season featuring on his CV.

West Sussex-based Moore’s charge – who was set to run in this weekend’s National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell before that meeting was washed out – kicked off the current campaign with success in the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby and has since finished sixth in both the Long Walk at Ascot and the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Returning to a track and conditions he clearly handles well, Botox Has was set off at 5-2 to complete a big-race double for his trainer and jockey Caoilin Quinn following Salver’s comfortable triumph in the preceding Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle.

Joshua Moore riding Botox Has (white) clear the last to win The JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham in December 2019 (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

And after sitting in the slipstream of 6-4 favourite Butch for much of the extended three-mile journey, the eight-year-old took over in the home straight and pulled nine lengths clear on the run-in.

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Betway trimmed Botox Has’ Stayers’ Hurdle odds to 28-1 from 66-1, but Moore’s son and assistant Josh expects him to sidestep the Cheltenham Festival in favour of other options.

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 at Aintree.”

Stayers' Hurdle betting (via Cheltenham Festival odds)

Teahupoo 3/1

Irish Point 100/3

Crambo 6/1

Noble Yeats, Sir Gerhard 8/1

Monkfish 10/1

Flooring Porter 12/1

Paisley Park 14/1

Home By The Lee, Sire Du Berlais 20/1

Blazing Khal, Dashel Drasher 25/1

Botox Has 28/1

33/1 bar

Sussex stable star likely to give Cheltenham Festival a miss