Ben Pauling prepares Samuel Spade for Cheltenham Festival

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Mon February 27, 2023 · 2y ago

Ben Pauling is confident Samuel Spade will give his connections ‘something to shout about’ at the Cheltenham Festival after booking his place in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle with victory at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Sent off the 2/13 favourite to go one better than on his previous start at the Cambridgeshire track in the Weatherbys Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle the four year old did not let his supporters down in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Novices’ Hurdle.

Despite showing a tendency to jump left, the odds-on chance made virtually all in the hands of Luca Morgan to coast home by 16 lengths from Inchester D’Amysl and set up a tilt at the extended two mile Premier Handicap on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Pauling said: “He was purchased in the Tattersalls Autumn horses-in-training sale to aim for the juvenile series as it were, but they are by no means guaranteed to be good enough, however from day one he has had a great attitude.

“Day one at Kempton Park he was very green winning first time out. He then went to Huntingdon for the Chatteris Fen and gave eight pounds to a good horse of Gary Moore’s and he got beat three lengths so we were really chuffed with that result.

“He gave us a bit of a scare at the first, then he jumped slightly left after that, but he jumped well on the whole after that. It was a case of getting the job done the other day and he had to have three runs to get into the Boodles.

“I’d like to think he is going to be the sort of horse that will give us something to shout about coming down the hill.”

While Samuel Spade was forced into making his own running on route to his latest success the Gloucestershire handler believes that will stand him in good stead for his Festival assignment.

He added: “He had to make his own running which would have taught him a hell of a lot. I think you have to be a tough horse for the Boodles and he is certainly that. He is a strong powerful individual that likes to get stuck in.

“He has been dropped in twice and now he has made his own running so he has had a good education

“We had the perfect mark, in my view, off 126, so it was actually quite an important run. Firstly, you didn’t want to run and get beat, and get dropped, but the most important part was getting round.

“It all went to plan and he has come out of the race well. He seems as fresh as a daisy and it is now all roads to Cheltenham.”

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