Reaction from Newbury: Paul Nicholls young guns step up to the plate

The kids are alright

It was Alan Hansen who famously once claimed that “you can’t win anything with kids” after Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United crumbled 3-1 to Aston Villa in August 1995.

And we all know how that story ended, with United storming to the 1995/96 title with a team featuring the likes of a young David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.

At Newbury on Friday it was Ferguson’s faith in youth on the racetrack, as opposed to the football pitch, that came to the fore as Regent’s Stroll opened his account over hurdles before Kalif Du Berlais made it second time lucky over fences.

While Ferguson secured plenty of transfer coups throughout his career in the hot-seat at Old Trafford, the £660,000 that he and fellow owners John Hales, Paul Hogarth, Ged Mason and Neil Smith laid out on the Walk In The Park gelding when the gavel came down meant the pressure was on.

However, that sum appears to be money well spent, as despite a nervy moment at the second-last, the well built five-year-old looked every inch the future champion his price tag, which is a record for a jumps horse at a public sale, suggests he could be.

Mason said: “I was hoping, when he made the mistake, it wasn’t going to be another Kalif Du Berlais moment, but it shows you want a great horse he is to comeback from that and finish the way he did.

"Harry (Cobden) gave him a peach of a ride, but he said he gave a good feel all the way round. It was great and just what we wanted. There was a lot of pressure obviously for Paul and the team having purchased him expensively on the market, but he is proving to be some horse.

“You do feel more pressure when you have one like this as we do prefer to go under the radar as we don’t like the lights of it all, but this is exciting."

And just like how Ferguson would have his scouts sourcing out the next world-beater back in the day, Mason admits that plenty of feelers were put out once the possibility of his availability became a reality.

He added: “Well before the auction I expressed an interest in him when Paul suggested he might become available and as they say the early bird catches the worm, however we still had to do it in the ring.

"It was a lot higher than we thought we would have to pay if I’m honest, but when you go in the ring, and you are determined to buy it, you go that little bit extra at auction. These horses don’t come around that often and it was well worth supporting Paul and the team. He has still got to prove it, but hopefully he can win some silverware."

While the future looks bright for the youth over jumps for Ferguson and Mason, together with their various owners, the pair will turn to experience a week on Sunday when jetting out to watch recent Bahrain International Trophy winner Spirit Dancer in the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin.

Mason said: "The horse is travelling out to Hong Kong today so let’s see if the fairytale can continue. It is a bigger ask this time, but he has done it before. We will be packing our bags and getting our passports ready to go out there next Friday!"

The days of Denman, Kauto Star and Master Minded are long gone for Paul Nicholls, but as Kalif Du Berlais and Regent’s Stroll proved, he still has smart enough horses with the potential to take on the best.

Aside from the odd exception, stopping the brightest prospects from heading over in lorry loads across the Irish Sea has proven a difficult thing to achieve for many owners on British soil.

However, Nicholls believes that the likes of Mason, Ferguson, John Hales, together with several of their other friends, could help provide some kind of answer to the question.

Nicholls said: "With him, and the first one, and Caldwell Potter, who is running on Sunday, they have got some beautiful horses. They have invested between them all and they have got some lovely horses for the future. It is my job to make sure we do the right thing with them.

"They have got a right team of horses now, but they put a lot of money in. It is quite good having five or six of them together, and with Neil Smith, who has joined them as well. If these horses are making this sort of money they can afford to buy them between six of them. When we get horses like that go to the sales we don’t want to be losing them.

"It is good to have them on board and they deserve all the success they get. It is a big ask for one man to pay for them and if you can get the five or six together it means you have a bit of ammunition.”

Ireland awaits for the big Man?

Taking on the Irish in their own back yard has been something British trainers have been reluctant to do in recent seasons with on a brave few souls taking on that intrepid journey.

However, it was refreshing to hear trainer Ben Pauling open to the idea of letting The Jukebox Man tackle the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, before everyone descends together at the Cheltenham Festival.

And judging by the display of the six-year-old, who is owned by former West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, on the manner of his win in the Grade Two Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase he certainly wouldn’t look out of place.

Pauling said: “We’ve lost the Dipper and that would be the obvious route. It leaves Kempton on the cards. There are other options. I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but maybe there is something in Ireland.

“Maybe this is the horse we can campaign properly wherever we want to go. I’m not saying we won’t get beat. I think Willie (Mullins) has beaten us once and Gordon (Elliott) has beaten us once, but I don’t think everything was in our favour necessarily at those meetings.

“He should have won the Albert Bartlett and I think we were softened up by Mel Rowley’s horse (Kyntara) in the three mile race at Aintree. There is lots to look forward to.”

And while The Jukebox Man’s famous owner could not be in attendance on this occasion, the prospects of his presence in the winner’s enclosure alongside the six-year-old son of Ask look guaranteed.

Pauling added: “I’ve just spoken to Harry and he is unbelievably happy. He is just gutted not to be here as this is what he does it for, but hopefully he has got a few more days ahead of him.”

'There is no point in me trying to be clever'

Operation Langer Dan is not on, I repeat Operation Langer Dan is not on.

Those taking one glance at the result of the Grade Two Coral Long Distance Hurdle and seeing that Langer Dan finished third beaten nine lengths might be thinking otherwise. But according to trainer Dan Skelton going down the Grade One route with the dual Coral Cup winner is the only viable option in his eyes this season.

There will still be plenty of sceptics out there, but the 66/1 on offer for the Stayers’ Hurdle with race sponsor Paddy Power might be worth twisting their arm in parting with a few pounds on a horse that saves his best for Cheltenham in March.

Skelton said: “For whatever reason he is easier in the spring than the autumn and I do not know why. There is no point in me trying to be clever and tell everyone I understand why.

"He travelled well today, but he was just a bit rusty and he made it hard work to beat the outsider, but that is what he is like all the time in the autumn and the winter.

"We hoped to blow the cobwebs away today and go onto the Long Walk, but we will now see as I don’t want to object him to that on heavy ground if I don’t feel he is flying at home, in which case we might go to a Relkeel Hurdle and build our way into the spring.

“The handicapper won’t drop him so we know we are going to be going down the Stayers’ Hurdle route, but I believe in this horse in the spring. I believe when we get to the Stayers’ Hurdle he will have a chance as that is the type of horse he is."

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