Bad is very good again for Pauling and Jones

Bad was anything but as he came out on top in the Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Handicap Chase  at Kempton Park for Ben Pauling and Ben Jones.

The trainer/jockey combination have enjoyed some memorable moments this season, not least The Jukebox Man landing Grade One gold here on Boxing Day.

And this was another Saturday winner, with Jones riding a patient race on the grey before looming large going to two out, as Flegmatik charged on in his bid to go one better than last year in this race.

Flegmatik battled back, but Bad – a course and distance winner last month – absolutely flew over the last and the 5-2 favourite dug deep to prevail by half a length.

“He didn’t miss a beat today, he’s always been very economical in his jumping and he was unfortunate to fall at Ascot (in January) when he was going really well,” Jones told Racing TV.

“He had a good jump at the last and he just held on. It was good.

“He’s got loads of ability and he’s a real yard favourite, to get his head in front is brilliant.

“He’s a horse that if he rocks up and gets out of bed on the right side, he’s got loads in hand. There are days when he doesn’t want to do it and he won’t do it.”

Aston Martini motored to victory for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville to take the Virgin Bet Best Odds Daily Handicap Hurdle.

The 100-30 joint-favourite had help keep her illustrious stablemate Constitution Hill company in a pre-Cheltenham workout on the all-weather at this Sunbury circuit last month, and was able to make a name for herself in her own right on this occasion.

Trying two miles and five furlongs for the first time and also in first-time cheekpieces, she had enough in the tank to get the better of fellow market leader Classic King by a length.

Henderson said: “She was actually first reserve for the Martin Pipe yesterday (at CHeltenham), but she didn’t quite get in. To be fair, I was rather quite happy to come here, a good prize and slightly easier to win than the Martin Pipe!

“She has a future over fences and at stud, which is great.”

Henderson and De Boinville had earlier struck with Timetoshine (9-4) in the Virgin Bet Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, a qualifier for the Herring Queen Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Series.

The £100,000 final of the series is at Kelso next week, and Henderson was not ruling out a quick reappearance.

He said: “Sadly she has to go to the sales in May and we’re just getting going! We’ll have a talk and see (about Kelso), she didn’t have a desperately hard race there, I must admit. We’ll have to see, she wouldn’t want the ground too soft.”

A good day was completed for Henderson and De Boinville when Kingston Pride (10-11 favourite) took the Virgin Bet Novices’ Hurdle.

“He is a good jumper, but he can be a bit tidier than he was today. He’s done it well in the end,” said Henderson.

“He just has to have this ground, we tried him once at Sandown in some really bad ground and we thought he’d win. He genuinely has to have good ground.

“He’s a lovely horse, great temperament, great attitude. He’s a proper National Hunt horse, chasing will be the making of him, but the ground is crucial.

“We certainly want to keep going now, he’s only had three runs this year and one was in a bog. We’ll have to get the book open and see what we can find, he’d want to go up a tier now.”