Ben Pauling is confident Handstands can get his chasing career up and running when he heads to either Sandown or Aintree at the weekend.
A winner of the Sidney Banks over hurdles at Huntingdon last term, he created plenty of excitement during a profitable novice hurdling campaign that saw the winning point-to-point graduate rack up three successive victories over the smaller obstacles before falling short at the Cheltenham Festival.
Sent chasing this season, he was immediately pitched into Grade Two company at Wincanton for his chasing bow, with his hurdling exploits seeing him sent off the 7/4 favourite for the Rising Stars Novices’ Chase.
That outing ultimately ended in disappointment as Handstands fell three from home, but Pauling reports him to be none the worse for that tumble and is looking forward to the five-year-old’s next outing.
The Gloucestershire handler has his eye on either a step up to three miles for Sandown’s Grade Two Betfair Esher Novices’ Chase (December 6) or remaining at the intermediate trip for a run in Merseyside in the Boylesports Lengthen The Odds Beginners’ Chase (December 7)
“He’s in good order and could have gone to Newbury (for the John Francome Novices’ Chase) but I didn’t want to run him and The Jukebox Man in the same race,” said Pauling.
“He will hopefully go to Aintree on Saturday or the Grade Two at Sandown on the Friday. He will run in one of those and is in good form at home and I’m pleased with the way he has come out of his fall at Wincanton and was A1 afterwards.”
Handstands’ Wincanton outing was on quicker than ideal ground for the strapping son of Getaway and although a faller, Pauling is taking plenty of encouragement from the way he acquitted himself.
“He definitely wants cut ideally, so he will be more suited by the conditions now than those that we met at Wincanton,” continued Pauling.
“They went a good gallop in that Wincanton race and considering it was his first run over fences, the fact he was able to lay up was amazing.
“Paul (Nicholls) said afterwards that his horse Insurrection just couldn’t lay up with the pace and for Handstands to be even pitching in there as he did was impressive, and I would be very sweet on him wherever he goes next.”
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