BREUIL TURNS ON THE STYLE
..and sets Ben poser
SUPER-SLICK leaper Le Breuil left it late to lay down some serious Cheltenham Festival credentials at Newbury yesterday.
But trainer Ben Pauling isn’t too worried – there’s always Aintree!
Pauling, who trains at picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, is enjoying his best season with 30 winners and a fivestrong raiding party for the Festival.
If Le Breuil does recover in time, his entries are in the Neptune Investments Hurdle and the Alfred Bartlett, where sidelined stable star Barters Hill met his first defeat last season.
Pauling also has smart hurdlers High Bridge and Willoughby Court in the novice events as he seeks a first victory at the number one meeting.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it,” was Pauling’s first reaction. “The reason I left him in those races was just in case he came out of this like a bull in a china shop.
I think he’s up to that calibre but, if we don’t go to Cheltenham, we’ll look to Aintree.”
Deposed as favourite by the fancied Benatar, Le Breuil was ridden straight into the lead by Nico de Boinville and, despite 115-day absence, proceeded to give his rivals a jumping lesson.
Benatar moved smoothly through the field to lay down a serious challenge approaching the last,
But Le Breuil was still fuelled up for more and pulled nine lengths clear on the run-in, with Woodford way back in third.
Surprised
“Had he been beaten today I wouldn’t have been too disappointed and Nico did say he took a good blow going to the last,” explained the trainer.
“It was a fantastic performance considering. He also goes on any ground and his jumping is electric!
“He should have a big future. He’s as good as we’ve got.
“I was very surprised when he got beat in a bumper at Bangor.
“He was going to go the Champion Bumper route at that point but I thought if he can’t win there, he wouldn’t be good enough.
“I was probably wrong, as he’d be quite exciting in that race, but his jumping is exceptional.”
Michael Scudamore is another young trainer on an upward curve and completed an amazing eight days when Dinsdale landed the opening Pheasant Inn Juvenile Hurdle by outbattling the drifting favourite Most Celebrated.
With victories in the Devon National at Exeter (Kingwell Theatre), the Eider Chase (Mysteree), and Skint at Taunton over the last eight days, it’s no wonder Scudamore is enjoying his best season.
“We’ve only got 25 in, so to have a week like this is fantastic,” he said.
“He’s in the Fred Winter and the plan was to go there if he could squeak in. He’s improved with every run.”
Scudamore’s party was nearly ruined by brother Tom who brought Most Celebrated with a beautifully timed run to take the lead, only to hang and surrender to the more determined winner.
Tom George’s stellar season continued when Behind The Wire defied a big weight in the Agetur Handicap Chase, while conditional Alan Johns added to his seasonal best with a bloodless triumph on Debece in the Physicool Handicap Hurdle.