Pauling favouring Mildmay contest for Handstands

Ben Pauling is likely to point Handstands at Friday’s Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

The six-year-old fell on his chase debut at Wincanton before reeling off a hat-trick of victories, highlighted by edging out Jango Baie in the Scilly Isles at Sandown.

He also holds an entry in the EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase over two and a half miles on Thursday, but Pauling feels the trip of three miles and one furlong in the Mildmay will better suit his horse’s needs.

Pauling said: “At the moment I’d be leaning towards the three-miler. With the ground given as it is, I think we’d probably be better over three than two and a half.

“It’s not that I don’t think he’d be able to run very well over two and a half, I think on this ground he’d be more suited by three.

“He has a lot of tactical speed and running him in the Scilly Isles, I know the ground might not have suited Jango Baie but he was good enough to win an Arkle, so I don’t think two and a half miles is done with, but on this ground I think three miles would be definitely the way I’ll be leaning.”

Handstands’ only defeat over the larger obstacles came when he fell at the third-last fence at Wincanton on ground that Pauling felt was far too quick for him.

He added: “That’s what we don’t want. It was good to firm ground at Wincanton and it all happened too quick on a flat, sharp, right-handed track and it didn’t work out that day.

“It was a combination of the ground being too quick over two-miles-three and the fact it was his first run over fences and they went a million and it just all looked very uncomfortable for him.

“When he fell he wasn’t necessarily beaten, but he was flat out for a good circuit and a half really.

“Since then he’s not really looked back. He had a proper ding-dong in the Scilly Isles but came out of it very well and his jumping’s been good and we’re looking forward to seeing him up at Aintree.”

Pauling has yet to decide where Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle third Diva Luna will run.

She has the option of the TrustATrader Top Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and half a furlong or the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle over two and a half, but the Naunton handler will see what lies in wait before making a decision.

He said: “She ran a blinder (at Cheltenham) and she’s in both the two and the two-and-a-half-miler and she’ll be very competitive.

“I think she’ll improve again from Cheltenham and I’m looking forward to seeing how she gets on.”