Handstands has Pauling brimming with delight

Article from At The Races:

Sandown success comes hot on the heels of The Jukebox Man.

Handstands fully justified Ben Pauling’s faith in him when running out an impressive winner of the Betfair Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

A Listed winner over hurdles last season, he was then asked a big question in March when pitched in against Ballyburn.

Pauling showed the regard in which he is held at home, though, when he ran Handstands in the Grade Two Rising Stars Novices’ Chase at Wincanton on his chasing debut.

The race was just developing when he came down at the third-last, but Pauling retained his belief and ran him in another Grade Two in what looked a much deeper contest.

Ben Jones soon found himself at the head of the back and jumping with aplomb, he never really looked in any danger.

On the run to the Pond Fence his four rivals ganged up and he looked a sitting duck, only for Handstands (5-2) to quicken impressively rounding the bend and he was soon three lengths clear.

Despite running over three miles for the first time since his pointing days, he saw the trip out powerfully to beat the running-on Resplendent Grey by three and a half lengths.

“He’s got natural speed, but we hoped he’d stay three miles as well,” said Pauling.

“He’d not made a mistake at home. He was an OK hurdler, not one you’d say would make an outright chaser but the second we schooled him over fences he was electric.

“At Wincanton they went so quick, they were being led a merry dance by Soul Icon and he was just out of his comfort zone. I didn’t think he was beaten when he fell, but it looked a tired fall. I’m delighted with him today.”

Pauling has another smart novice chaser on his hands in The Jukebox Man and will endeavour to keep them apart as long as possible.

He went on: “This lad looked like he stayed very well there, while The Jukebox Man looked like he had electric speed the other day so we might not need to go as far with him.

“We’re not Willie Mullins, they’re not going to run against each other in a hurry so there’ll be a bit of working out with each of them.

“We had some lovely novice hurdlers last year and it’s nice to see them go on as we need them to.

“Cheltenham is not the be-all and end-all for him (Handstands). For him to go he’d have to be the standout in everyone’s minds. We could possibly look somewhere else, but if he continues in nice form it’s a nice problem to have.
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“We’ll see how he comes out of today and decide where to go next. I think we stay at around this sort of trip, although I don’t think he has to go over three miles – he still has enough speed for two and a half.”