Equinties - Pauling singing

Author

BGP Capital
March 20, 2025

Equinties

Gm Equinauts

Every day there seems to be a conversation about what needs changing to keep horse racing alive.

A historic sport with the power to engage millions of fans around the world globally, we don’t think it’s going anywhere soon but the sport should learn, quickly, to look after the owners who keep the show on the road.

The BHA charging £80 for an owner to click ONE button on the BHA admin site allowing trainers to register and enter horses to race is he BHA laughing at the people who fun their jobs.

How to incentivise owners to stay in the game - get rid of that ridiculous charge now!

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

PAULING SINGING

Do you remember Ben Pauling’s comments earlier this season regarding THE JUKEBOX MAN? You know, the ones before he got injured.

Well, they basically said he would have preferred to run him in the old Turners over 2m4f, but because that wasn’t around, the Brown Advisory would have to do.

It was quite an interesting take considering he ran in the Bartlett and Sefton as a novice hurdler before going on to win the Kauto Star over three miles at Kempton.
The general consensus was that he does stay three miles, but he doesn’t lack gears.

So, with a view to the future, would he be a Ryanair or Gold Cup horse? The two are pretty different, as we saw last week, FACT TO FILE looked very good in the Ryanair over 2m4f and wasn’t stopping but there’s no guarantee that he would stay the gruelling trip of the Gold Cup, and INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN loved the Gold Cup trip despite not really enjoying 2m4f in the John Durkan earlier this season.

With GALOPIN DES CHAMPS de-throned and Pauling clearly taking a view on the results of last week, the very top is now the long term aim for THE JUEBOX MAN.

Pauling said: "The Gold Cup is certainly looking interesting. The Jukebox Man is back on the walker now and seems in good form. He's exactly the type of novice you'd like to have on your side, as is Handstands. They're exciting horses for next season's races, all being well.

"We're all very much keeping our feet on the ground as we've got to get him back. He should be absolutely fine though, and I personally felt watching the Brown Advisory that nothing really shone from it as a Gold Cup horse."

Rival yards would have to be envious of Ben Pauling’s position. He has THE JUKEBOX MAN coming back and HANDSTANDS, another top-notch novice chaser who’s form got a boost when JANGO BAIE won the Arkle.

Fresh comments about the horse came through yesterday, as he said: “He'll have entries in the two-and-a-half and three-mile races and it'll depend on the ground. If it comes up quick, we're probably more likely to go over further.

"Aintree should suit him well. People have slightly labelled him as a grinder but I don't think he is at all. He's got that bit of class with plenty of boot when he needs it. Punchestown would probably fall a bit close but I wouldn't rule it out."

As for his other runners, DIVA LUNA is set to take on the boys at Aintree in a Grade 1 (we assume the Top Novices’ Hurdle over two miles), MAMBONUMBERFIVE will go to the Juvenile, FIERCELY PROUD is going to the 2m4f conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle, and OUR BOY STAN and BETTY’S DAISY are going to the bumpers.

BRIGHTER DAYS IN LIVERPOOL

Is anyone getting a sense of deja’vu regarding BRIGHTERDAYSHAEAD?

She went to Cheltenham as a well-fancied contender, she disappointed, and she’s now potentially going to step up in trip at Aintree. Last year, it was in the Mares’ Novices’ hurdle over two miles when she was the hot favourite and this year saw her run as the second-favourite in the Champion Hurdle.

After her run in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, she went to the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle and bolted up, and 12 months on, the Aintree Hurdle over 2m4f could be for her.

Gordon Elliott was fairly confident after the Champion Hurdle that she was never right, and to be honest, we had our suspicions when looking at her on the Cheltenham gallops:

And just like that, she disappointed in a race full of drama. In fairness to her, she was clattered by STATE MAN after the last hurdle, but she was never going to catch GOLDEN ACE after Willie Mullins’ 2024 winner came down at the final flight.

Although the turnaround between Cheltenham and Aintree is sharp this year, connections have their eyes on the National Festival, as Eddie O’Leary said: 

“Hopefully we have found something that might have caused her to run poorly, hopefully she is over that now and that just wasn’t her, it was an odd run.

“We’ll have to see what happens and there is a small chance she will make Liverpool.

“The Champion Hurdle run just wasn’t her and from the word go she just wasn’t happy. We’re happy enough there was a small issue so hopefully we have that sorted out now.”

“She is better off going left-handed. If it’s not Liverpool she will have to go the other way round at Punchestown.

“It would be in the two-and-a-half-mile race at Liverpool. We’d prefer to go left-handed, but it would be up to her. If she’s well and flying again then that’s grand, but if not we can go to Punchestown.”

To the eye she looked great at Christmas, but it was quite that the STATE MAN who turned up last week wasn’t the STATE MAN we saw to BDA.

With CONSTITUTION HILL off to Punchestown, as well as GOLDEN ACE, she could get a small penalty kick at Merseyside. Who will take her on? That’s probably what Gigginstown are thinking right now, and their eyes are probably lighting up at the idea of an easy Grade 1.

LANGER DAN potentially? BOB OLINGER if he has recovered from the Stayers? We shall see.

BRIT ABROAD

It looks like we have another British runner heading over to Punchestown this year as LIBBERTY HUNTER is being lined up for the final Irish jumps festival of the season.

We knew that there would be a nice boat full heading over the Irish Sea to the Punchestown Festival this year, but the news that JONBON would be heading to Aintree had us questioning just how the split of British runners would occur.

But does LIBBERTY HUNTER have a chance? It’s quite hard to weigh up as his dive into Grade 1 company for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham saw him come down at the third-last.

We weren’t able to find out that day, but positives can be taken from his effort. He was travelling into contention at the time of the fall having made a mistake at the second fence which saw him lose lengths, so he was running a good race.

However, he’s a heavy ground winner and he did look a little off his feet in the early stages of the Champion Chase. Fast ground around Punchestown could just catch him out a bit more.

Anyway, on his next run, Evan Williams said: “He was going beautifully, we were absolutely delighted with where he was. It’s somewhat frustrating but that’s racing and that’s the way the cards fall sometimes.

“He looks like a Grade One horse, I don’t think we’re silly in thinking that. The little steps have enabled us to be confident that we deserve to be taking our chances in such races.

“I suppose we’d better look at Punchestown for the two-mile chase there, I can’t see why we shouldn’t look at that.

“There is a thought that maybe a step up in trip to two-and-a-half might not be the silliest thing to look at in Aintree but the fact is we were running very well over two miles, so Punchestown could be the sensible option.”

LEVI CHARGED WITH MURDER

We’re not going to spend too much ink on this lowlife but our readers should know apprentice jockey Levi Williams has apparently been rearrested and charged with the murder of a 71 year old pensioner after an altercation outside the Waggon and Horses on Newmarket High Street.

Levi, only really known to the racing world for failing drugs tests twice, will remain on bail until June 5th.

Our condolences to the mans family.

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