Pauling confident Handstands can thrive at Towton trip

Ben Pauling is unconcerned about dropping in trip with Handstands ahead of the rescheduled Dragonbet Towton Novices’ Chase at Ffos Las.

Pauling had intended to run his Esher Novices’ Chase winner at Warwick in the Hampton Novices’ Chase, with Personal Ambition slated for the Towton at its original home of Wetherby.

The weather put paid to those intentions, however, and after plenty of discussion, it is Handstands who gets to strut his stuff and hopefully book his place in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown next month.

“It’s great there is at least one option and we’re delighted Ffos Las is on. It was a bit of a headscratcher who we were going to run where and when, but ultimately we are thinking we’d like to go to the Scilly Isles with Handstands,” said Pauling.

“The decision came down to whether we ran here on the way to the Scilly Isles or just waited, but hopefully he’ll take this race well – and if he doesn’t, we’ll have to have another think about where we go.

“I just thought this gave him another opportunity to win a nice race and that is the decision we made.

“He won over three miles last time and this is two and a half but he won a Sidney Banks last season, he’s not a slow horse by any stretch.

“Dan’s (Skelton) horse Cherie d’Am looks the biggest danger but she’s got a penalty and I think he should be up to it.”

Henry Daly’s Hillcrest continues on his comeback trail. A smart novice hurdler in the 2021-22 season, he was off for 981 days before his encouraging first run of the season at Haydock but was pulled up at Cheltenham last time out when his jumping fell apart.

Daly told Sky Sports Racing: “His jumping wasn’t too bad first time, when he just got in a muddle a couple of times, but in the second run at Cheltenham, he definitely got in a muddle with the speed and pace and, I think, the aggressiveness of the race.

“Nicky Henderson was talking about it the other day that these top-class horses, all of them, when going novice chasing, they need time to develop into the game of jumping fences.

“They don’t all do it naturally first time out, it’s not that straightforward, they need opportunities to come for them to help them learn their trade – he’s learning his trade.”

Regarding this test, he added: “Ffos Las can be very soft, so I hope the two and a half miles will suit him well on this kind of ground.”

The meeting needs to survive a 7.30am precautionary inspection.