Ben Pauling column: Stable continues in good form and Gowiththeflow enters Cheltenham Festival reckoning
Gowiththeflow has put himself in the frame for the Cheltenham Festival and Barters Hill is facing a drop in distance - get the latest on Ben Pauling's string.
We've got to start with Barters Hill – did he show you enough at Newbury to encourage you to go on with him?
He did, yes. Overall, we were very pleased with Barters Hill. He got tired in the closing stages on the ground but that was always a possibility after such a long time off, especially with it being so testing.
We're also thrilled with how he's come out of it which is a relief. He got in close to a couple of hurdles but showed up well for a long way and we're definitely putting a positive spin on it.
It might surprise you to hear that I've always had a slight doubt that he actually gets three miles brilliantly well. He was all out in the River Donn as a novice and got pegged back after making it in the Albert Bartlett.
So we're thinking we'll probably drop him down in trip a little bit now and that won’t be at Cheltenham.
He's actually limited in where he can go but there's a suitable race at Wetherby and there's the big two and a half mile handicap at Aintree.
He will definitely be seen again, all being well, so that's the main thing.
And how did your other Newbury runners come out of the weekend?
High Bridge never travelled a yard in the Betfair Hurdle and hated the ground – you can put a line through it, which is probably the case with several of the beaten horses.
He jumped fine but he’s a speed horse really and that was never a factor. To me he never looked happy, they were all strung out like washing, but he ran respectably.
Aintree is very much the plan for him, and he'll have options there, but better ground will suit without doubt.
I was delighted with Nestor Park, he handled the ground pretty well and Daryl said he took a blow so he'll improve for it in my view.
This is a race that will almost certainly work out strongly and the winner Acey Milan is one for every single notebook. He's really shone for me this year as a star performer and one for the future.
Nestor will get an entry in the Champion Bumper at the Festival just in case it came up soft but other than that I'd have thought we’ll hang fire with him. He’s a smart novice hurdler in waiting.
Could Gowiththeflow be part of the Cheltenham team after his Doncaster win last Thursday?
He definitely did it well and he will improve for the run in my view, which is something I’m hoping for from plenty of my horses after the quiet spell we had during January.
Gowiththeflow is a good pro and there’s every chance he’ll take his chance in the Albert Bartlett. He’s just a very likeable horse who I think will get three miles all day long and he's on the upgrade, for sure.
GOWITHTHEFLOW was an impressive winner this afternoon for @benpauling1 and @NdeBoinville
— Doncaster Racecourse (@DoncasterRaces) February 8, 2018
Congratulations 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TBXSdgTQK6
Delire D'Estruval took advantage of a good opportunity at Towcester on Wednesday – what’s the plan for him now?
Delire D'Estruval was EBF Final-bound and depending on what the handicapper does will determine what we end up doing with him.
He won off 135 the other day and in truth I'm hoping the handicapper basically leaves him on that mark but I just don't know at this stage.
He's not the biggest but he's progressive and there's a race up at Kelso that may suit him in the coming weeks. It's a Grade Two novice hurdle but apart from that all I can say really is that he's come out of it in very good shape and looks well.
How is the weekend team shaping up?
Kildisart is running at Ascot - he's in very good form and I expect him to run a nice race.
I see the ground is soft, heavy in places there now, but he needs to run. He's been engaged in a few races but has sidestepped a them with the yard just a little under a cloud. But hopefully we can get a run and he might have a few options come the Festival all being well.
Salix is entered at Haydock but won't be running. He's a damn sight better than he was able to show at Kempton last time and is a horse I like, but we won't run him there on bottomless ground. He's a French-bred so you'd have thought he'll handle it fine, but he clearly doesn't so we’ll sit tight.
Markov has options coming up and it's a case of picking the right one for him as he'll need another run, and possibly to go up a couple of pounds, to qualify for the novices' handicap chase at Cheltenham.
He also wants better ground really and he's more likely to go to Ludlow next week.
I haven't actually seen the entries yet but running there in a novice chase under a double penalty might be the most attractive option, rather than in another handicap.
And finally… a little over three weeks to go now. What’s the latest on last year's Festival hero?
I'm pleased to report things with Willoughby Court couldn’t be going any better – he looks extremely well. It's now that all the Cheltenham horses are about to have their busy time in the run-up to the big meeting and they'll be working to pretty tight programmes to get them ready and in top shape.
Willoughby will follow a similar regime to last year, which obviously worked out great, and his schooling of late has been fantastic. Fingers crossed the sun comes out soon and we get a bit of decent ground.
Click on the image below for Sky Bet's latest JLT Novices' Chase (NRNB) odds...
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