Tag Archive for: Tellherthename

Megsons planning to cut string after Pauling split

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Owners Andrew and Jane Megson have removed their horses from Ben Pauling’s yard as part of a thinning out process they hope will rekindle their enjoyment in racehorse ownership.

The Megsons enjoyed some great days alongside Pauling, with Global Citizen winning the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 and their string growing in quality at a time the Naunton Downs handler has expanded his operation.

However, the husband-and-wife duo have come to the conclusion they need to “freshen things up”, with their string set to be split between a few select trainers as they seek to recapture the joy of ownership.

Global Citizen was a Cheltenham Festival winner in 2022
Global Citizen was a Cheltenham Festival winner in 2022 (Tim Goode/PA)

“The real driver is about making sure we enjoy it because it is a hobby and we don’t want it to be a grind,” explained Andrew Megson.

“So we decided to thin out and while we did that we took the opportunity to make a few changes. We know Jonjo (O’Neill), we know Fergal (O’Brien) and we thought we’d just have a change and freshen things up.

“We still have a business and we’ve built up a number of horses almost by accident. Our thinking was we have too many horses and can’t go and watch them – watching a horse midweek on my phone in the corner of my office is not the most enjoyable and my wife Jane doesn’t really want to be going racing on her own.”

He went on: “Accidently we’ve become quite big owners and we don’t really want to be the biggest owner in anybody’s yard. It’s not what we set out to do and Jane is very keen that when we do buy horses in the future, we spread them out a bit.

“Ben is doing really well and his yard is doing fantastic. He’s got some lovely horses and he’s grown exponentially and we wish him all the best.

“It’s all amicable with Ben and there’s been no falling out, in fact he sent me a lovely message. Ben is a great guy and I’m sure he will have a brilliant Aintree.”

Pauling, who won the closing bumper on the first day of the Grand National meeting, said he had “no inkling” of the move coming and was taken by surprise.

He said: “Everyone has their reasons for what they do and the Megsons have been huge supporters of mine for many years and I will always thank them for that. But, for whatever reason they have chosen to move them.

“I don’t know what they are but I wish them the best of luck. I had no inkling at all, genuinely.”

Tellherthename will be campaigned on the Flat this summer
Tellherthename will be campaigned on the Flat this summer (Adam Davy/PA)

Part of the family’s plans to reignite their enthusiasm is to switch this season’s star novice hurdler Tellherthename to the Flat and he will join Ed Dunlop in Newmarket with staying aspirations this summer before a potential move to O’Neill to continue his National Hunt career.

He added: “We think Tellherthename is a rocket and this year (over hurdles) the ground has gone against him. We want to try him on the Flat in staying races as he’s not been over raced this year by any stretch of the imagination and on decent ground, we hope he could be quite smart.

“He’s gone to Ed Dunlop who is going to say if he is interesting for the Flat or if we should keep him over hurdles or fences.

“It’ll probably never happen, but you see what Alan King did with Trueshan and you think let’s dream about that and you have to dream when you own racehorses.”

Harper’s Brook will join Dan Skelton
Harper’s Brook will join Dan Skelton (Steven Paston/PA)

As well as O’Neill, O’Brien and Dan Skelton will joining their small band of trainers, with some of the Megson’s current string of horses soon to be sold.

Megson said: “We are sending six or seven to the sales. We had 20-plus horses but now we will have five with Ed Dunlop on the Flat if you include Tellherthename, five with Jonjo O’Neill and potentially Tellherthename if he goes back jumping, five to Fergal O’Brien and we’ve decided to put Harper’s Brook and Storminhome with Dan Skelton.

“They were going to go to the sales, but what would be deeply disappointing would be if Harper’s Brook stopped being quirky and bolted up in a big race after we had sold him.”



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Tellherthename to hold out for better ground after Cheltenham effort

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Ben Pauling is retaining plenty of faith in Tellherthename and is relishing the prospect of running his star novice again this season when ground conditions improve.

The five-year-old has always been the apple of the Naunton Downs handler’s eye and he advertised his star quality with two bloodless victories at Huntingdon either side of a disappointing showing in Aintree’s Formby Hurdle on Boxing Day.

That no show on Merseyside came on testing ground and connections’ wariness of slow going was shown when a wet February curtailed a Betfair Hurdle bid.

Despite the rain continuing to fall in the build up to the Cheltenham Festival, Pauling still felt it was worth chancing his talented operator on the treacherous opening day ground in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Tellherthename heading to post at the Cheltenham Festival
Tellherthename heading to post at the Cheltenham Festival (Adam Davy/PA)

However, having led the runners into the straight, Tellherthename was unable to quicken as he was passed by the majority of the field in the Festival’s opening event, giving his team the evidence they needed to firmly seek good ground in the future.

“I think for Tellherthename it (the Supreme) went perfectly and he travelled and he jumped brilliantly,” said Pauling.

“He looked very much in his comfort, but we now know if you ask him to quicken in that heavy ground, he just can’t do it.

“He’s definitely got another run on his agenda this season and whether that be Aintree or somewhere else I’m not sure, but he’s come out of it like a horse that hasn’t had a hard race. He’s bouncing.

“We’re looking forward to the rain stopping and the ground drying. He’s a classy individual and I just adore him but he just cannot quicken on that ground and I just think now we know that we can avoid it.

“We were confident that was the problem at Aintree (in the Formby) but it was the Festival and we wanted to roll the dice and at least it was wet ground, but he’s just a classy horse with plenty of speed and testing ground just doesn’t suit him.”

There was both joy and agony for Pauling and his team over the four days of the Festival, exemplified by the contrasting fortunes of the Harry Redknapp-owned pair Shakem Up’Arry and The Jukebox Man, with the former giving Pauling his fourth Festival victory and the latter coming desperately short in his bid to be number five.

There was also a near miss for Twig in the Ultima, but there was some mixed results as well throughout the week, with the handler regarding Handstands’ Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle disappointment as the biggest blow of the meeting.

Handstands going to post before the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle
Handstands going to post before the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle (Adam Davy/PA)

Heading to Prestbury Park on the back of a brilliant Sidney Banks victory at Huntingdon, hopes were high he could make his mark up against Irish hotpot Ballyburn.

However, he could only finish last of the six finishers with Pauling feeling it may have been a case of one too many runs this term.

“Handstands was probably the biggest disappointment of the week and was a horse who we went into it not knowing where his limits lay,” continued Pauling.

“He fell far short of what we needed and Harry Cobden said he felt like he was never really on a going day.

“He only won his point-to-point in November and he has run three times including the Huntingdon Listed race en route, so maybe he just had one run to many.

“He’s finished for the season and is off doing dressage for a month now. He will come back as a lovely novice chaser for next season.”



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Megson backing Pauling to provide more Festival joy

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Owner Andrew Megson hopes the true price of loyalty is a second Cheltenham Festival winner, as he seeks to reap the rewards of backing the in-form Ben Pauling.

The definition of loyalty is a strong feeling of support or allegiance and the Megsons have never wavered in their belief in Pauling – the man who delivered them an emotional first Festival success with Global Citizen two years ago.

Now, the enthusiastic Yorkshireman and his wife Jane are putting their trust in Pauling once again, as the on-fire Naunton Downs handler prepares the family’s three Festival runners for action in the Cotswolds.

“We’re very excited and also a little nervous, but at the moment all the horses are well, so we are all extremely excited, especially for the Supreme on Tuesday to start off with,” said Megson.

Ben Pauling has looked after the majority of The Megsons horses
Ben Pauling has looked after the majority of The Megsons horses (John Walton/PA)

“We think Ben is a fantastic trainer and is a really nice guy, who we trust completely.

“We really admire how Ben and Sophie have backed themselves. Where they were before was a nice yard but you wouldn’t say it was state of the art and it was holding them back.

“They’ve gone out, bought a golf course and converted it to how Ben thinks a perfect yard should be, from the gallop to the American barns to the round gallop. It’s clearly cost a lot of money, but they have taken a big risk and backed themselves and we really admire that.”

He went on: “Ben is picking up some big races, winning a lot of races and is definitely hitting form at a good time.

“He’s a great guy with a great team and is always loyal to his people. The way that him and Sophie have invested in themselves and challenged themselves to get to the top is great. He’s a young guy with lots of ambition and he’s great to be around.”

Not only have the Megsons put complete faith in their trainer, but they have also backed his jockey Kielan Woods, who was aboard Global Citizen in 2022 and will partner all three of the family’s Pauling-trained Cheltenham runners this term.

Their support comes at a time when Woods has spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines, having received a 45-day ban for persistent whip offences.

However, despite Ben Jones shining aboard the Pauling string during Woods’ suspension and the financial services sector expert considering the loan of a calculator, there was never any doubt in Megson’s mind that the 31-year-old Woods would continue riding the family’s string.

He joked: “We’ve got a huge amount of time for Kielan and we think he’s a brilliant horseman and jockey – we would just be happier if he could count to six!

“He assures us now he’s learnt to count and we think he’s as talented as anyone. We hope we are loyal people and we want to stick by him. We’ve given him an abacus and told him when you get to six, stop.

Jockey Kielan Woods will ride The Megsons horses at Cheltenham
Jockey Kielan Woods will ride The Megsons horses at Cheltenham (John Walton/PA)

“Kielan rode our only Festival winner and Ben trained our only Festival winner, it is days like that you never forget.

“Yes, Kielan seems to have fallen foul of the stewards but not for one minute have we thought about not letting him ride. If none of us made a mistake, life would be quite dull.”

With Pauling and Woods in place, it is full steam ahead in the quest for a second Cheltenham Festival winner, in an ownership experience that began at a charity dinner – and was assisted by a generous helping of alcohol.

Lured into syndicate life via a tour of Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle, Andrew and Jane were soon bitten by the racing bug and before long their light purple silks were a common sight throughout the winter.

And it was somewhat fitting that Global Citizen, who had given them a first graded success in the Dovecote as a six-year-old, would provide Festival glory in the twilight of his career four years later.

Global Citizen winning the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual in 2022
Global Citizen winning the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual in 2022 (Tim Goode/PA)

“I actually cried when Global Citizen won,” said Megson, reflecting on that Grand Annual triumph.

“It was quite an emotional day and we didn’t end up celebrating like we probably should. Firstly, we were shattered, and secondly, I had a meeting the following day which I couldn’t attend with a hangover, but I will never forget it.

“We had the nerves in the morning, then concerns about the ground and thinking we might not run, and then you are watching the race and you are in disbelief.

“I said to Jane, he’s going really well and when he came round the home bend he wasn’t off the bridle – and then you end up just shrieking and making an idiot of yourself.”

Now, the Megsons are eyeing another day to remember and head to Prestbury Park with some trump cards to play at a time their handler can do no wrong.

They will have a runner in the very first race of the meeting, where the highly-regarded Tellherthename could get the week off to a flying start, seeking to justify connections’ immense belief, as he takes on the might of Ireland in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Megson said: “Tellherthename would be the most exciting horse we’ve owned. We’ve always thought he was very special from the start.

“He did nothing at Aintree on Boxing Day but the ground was bottomless and he just couldn’t get through it, but we love him and he’s done everything we want – this will be his big test, the biggest test.

“The chances of getting a horse good enough to be competitive in the Supreme are low and we are very excited. God knows what the emotions will be like on Tuesday morning. When you have a runner in Cheltenham, it is all you think about.”

On day two at Prestbury Park, it would be fitting if lovable rogue Harper’s Brook could follow in the footsteps of Global Citizen and give trainer, jockey and owner a second Grand Annual in three years.

Harper’s Brook winning at Sandown last month
Harper’s Brook winning at Sandown last month (John Walton/PA)

Meanwhile, in the Wetherbys Champion Bumper, taking Sandown victor Sixmilebridge will also represent the owners and is getting his connections excited ahead of his crack at Wednesday’s finale.

“We love Harper’s Brook and we’ve gone past getting frustrated with him because he has the unique ability of throwing away a race that looks impossible to lose,” added Megson.

“He’s pulled himself up two or three times and you just think ‘well why have you done that’.

“He’s getting quite a name now, but he has no idea what he’s doing and if he runs to his full potential, then he is a great horse.

“He is just as likely to win with his head in his chest as he is to pull himself up going down the hill. We just hope he remembers what winning was like at Sandown and he’s ready to do it again.”

On Sixmilebridge, he went on: “Ben and Kielan love this horse and we’ve all loved this horse from day one.

“He’s always had a bit of a bug and his trach wash has never been clean and when he ran at Sandown, Ben said his trach wash was still not perfect. But it was either run him and give him a try or we just put him away and hope things get better next season.

“He was backed off the boards and won pretty well, which we were thrilled about. It has blown the cobwebs out and his trach wash is now clean, so we’re pretty excited about him.”



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Ben Pauling excited to be fielding ‘strongest’ Cheltenham team yet

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Ben Pauling began training on his own in 2013 and must have thought the game was easy, as Barters Hill and then Willoughby Court scaled heights that quickly brought him plenty of attention.

It is not until this season, however, that Pauling – who counts Cheltenham as his local track – feels he is heading to the Festival with a team of horses capable of taking him back to the top table.

Barters Hill was his first Grade One winner in the 2015 Challow Hurdle, while Willoughby Court broke his Festival duck in the 2017 Neptune (now Baring Bingham) Novices’ Hurdle.

Le Breuil (National Hunt Chase) and Global Citizen (Grand Annual) have provided further Festival success, although both came away from the highest level and this year he has legitimate contenders in all three novice hurdles.

Tellherthename heads for the Supreme having got back to winning ways at Huntingdon, which was also where Baring Bingham hope Handstands won recently, while The Jukebox Man has been kept fresh for the Albert Bartlett since a fine third in the Challow Hurdle.

Ben Pauling celebrates Le Breuil's Cheltenham success in 2019
Ben Pauling celebrates Le Breuil’s Cheltenham success in 2019 (Nigel French/PA)

“I’d say this is going to be our strongest team, certainly in quality if not quite numerically,” said Pauling.

“I think we’ll send between eight and 10 this season and without doubt it is our strongest team, they’ve found their own way there without us pushing to place them, if that makes sense. Hopefully, they’ll all go there and do their best – and if their best is good enough, then fine.”

Reflecting on the early days of his career, he admits he appreciates success a lot more now.

“At the time, I realised how lucky I was to get those two so early in my career, but you can’t appreciate it as much as you should do at the time,” said Pauling.

Barters Hill was Pauling's first top-class horse
Barters Hill was Pauling’s first top-class horse (Nigel French/PA)

“It was quite ridiculous with Barters, we just turned up for Grade Ones and expected to win.

“When he won his Challow Hurdle, my first Grade One, he had Politologue 18 lengths behind him absolutely legless, and he went on to win a Champion Chase. He motored through races and was just incredible.

“He’s still cruising around now as a lovely riding horse, but unfortunately his frailties behind cut his career short.

“Willoughby then quickly came along to fill the void, but sadly he passed away with blood poisoning.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had this calibre of horse. We’ve won Festival races with Le Breuil, who you could say was a nice horse but was never a Grade One contender, and then Global Citizen, who won plenty of Grade Twos but couldn’t win a Grade One.

“We’ve had various other stars but never have we had a team like this, three very nice novices going with chances.”

Handstands is heading for the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle
Handstands is heading for the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (David Davies/PA)

As well as the three novice hurdlers, who should all have bright futures whatever they do at Cheltenham, the 40-year-old has a handful of handicappers with live chances as well.

“The races all pick them themselves really. I suppose the fact the Supreme is the first race of the meeting means Tellherthename is unlikely to get his favoured good ground, but he won on soft at Huntingdon the other day. I just don’t think he handled bottomless ground like it was at Aintree,” he said.

“What I wasn’t prepared to do at Newbury (when a non-runner) was run on bottomless ground so close to the Festival, his owners want Festival winners.

“Once the ground went so soft at Newbury (for the Betfair Hurdle), it was never a question and here we are with a horse who appears to be in very good form, he worked very well at Kempton recently.

“Handstands, I think I’ve persuaded the owners that I’m very keen to go, as they were up in the air.

“He won at Huntingdon recently. He’s a funny horse, as Harry (Cobden) came to school him before Huntingdon and jumped off saying he felt like a 105 handicapper, yet just after the race he said he’d have no idea where the bottom of him is, as he didn’t have to try very hard.

“Hopefully, he’s an improving horse. It’s whether he’s ready for a race like the Baring Bingham.

“The Jukebox Man ran well in the Challow and hasn’t run since because that probably took a lot out of him, I think three miles will be right up his street.”

Harper’s Brook has his own ideas about the game but is talented
Harper’s Brook has his own ideas about the game but is talented (Steven Paston/PA)

He went on: “I’m hoping Bowtogreatness might get into the Kim Muir, he ran well last time out and we haven’t been overly hard on him. He is in the amateur race (National Hunt Chase) as well but I do think he’s ahead of his mark.

“Twig will definitely go in the Ultima but he needs good to soft at worse, he’s not great on anything softer than that.

“If the ground is to be on the soft side, then I suspect Shakem Up’Arry will go in the Plate, I think that’s his trip. We did his wind in the summer and while his first run back was a disaster, he needed to trust himself again.

“He was then too keen in the Coral Gold Cup and didn’t get home. It all came together on New Year’s Day, when he looked a different horse – and he finished third in the Plate last year.

“Harper’s Brook will go for the Grand Annual, we might switch the headgear to blinkers from cheekpieces. We’ve hopefully worked out the way of getting the best out of him, it might not work every time but he’s a very talented horse.

“I think Henry’s Friend will run now, too. I actually thought he’d need a rest after the Reynoldstown, but he’s come out of it bouncing. There’s more chance than not he’ll run in the National Hunt Chase.”



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Pauling content to have bypassed Betfair bid with Tellherthename

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Tellherthename is all systems go for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle having missed out on a shot at Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle on account of the testing ground.

Trainer Ben Pauling has never hidden his admiration for highly of his talented novice, who has won two of his four starts to date in taking fashion at Huntingdon.

The Cheltenham Festival opener has always been on the radar for the Megson family-owned five-year-old, but Pauling was keen to stop off at Newbury en route and try to exploit a rating of 135.

However, with persistent rain in the days leading into the prestigious handicap turning conditions in Berkshire heavy, connections made the decision to skip the contest in favour of heading to Prestbury Park without the risk of a gruelling race prior to his main objective.

“It’s ironic because the Betfair Hurdle is such a valuable race and takes a lot of thinking about, but the Supreme is one of the sort of blue riband events of our sport,” said Pauling.

“To have a horse we think is good enough to feature in it doesn’t happen very often and the owners were keen to save him for that day rather than end up at Cheltenham having had a harder race than necessary in the Betfair.

“We had always said to ourselves we would love to go via a Betfair Hurdle if everything fell right. So he was trained for the race and couldn’t have been in better form, but unfortunately the rain that Newbury got meant the ground was always going to be too testing.

“Actually, the fact the rain stopped and it started to dry out a little bit meant it was going to be quite tacky and hard work, so that even further secured our thoughts not to go there which was a shame because we thought we had him going there in great form and off a very nice mark and a good position to do himself justice.

“He’s at home in his stable looking magnificent and we will now prepare him for the Supreme.”

The Naunton Downs handler has tasted success three times at the Cheltenham Festival and heads to the showpiece meeting in four weeks time with the best squad of novice talent he has ever assembled.

His Festival hopes were enhanced by Handstands’ impressive victory in Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle last week and he will now head attempt to repeat Willoughby Court’s 2017 victory in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, while Fiercely Proud and Challow Hurdle third The Jukebox Man are other smart prospects Pauling could unleash in the Cotswolds.

Handstands impressed in the Sidney Banks
Handstands impressed in the Sidney Banks (David Davies/PA)

“We do seem to have a lot of novices that are going the right way at the moment and they are a very talented and progressive bunch. It’s nice to have such nice younger horses.” continued Pauling.

On Handstands, he added: “He’s come out of Huntingdon well and I was really, really pleased with his performance in the Sidney Banks.

“He’s a horse that previous to that race had only beaten what he had beaten, but Ben Jones who had ridden him twice before felt we were only scratching the surface and had not got to the bottom of him.

“You are not quite sure until you run them in that better grade what you have, but we were thrilled by the way he went about it and he put the race to bed quite nicely – when he got to the front he didn’t do an awful lot and probably won a bit cosily, so it was a good performance.”



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Kabral Du Mathan makes Huntingdon splash for Nicholls

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Paul Nicholls’ Kabral Du Mathan looks to have a very bright future after he cruised to victory on his British debut in the Weatherbys Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle.

A winner in France on his only previous start, he had to carry 8lb more than all his rivals but it mattered not a jot.

There were four other previous winners in the race and one of those, Dan Skelton’s Kartoon And Co, led them until halfway down the back straight when he suddenly came under pressure and dropped to last.

Alan King’s Whispering Royal was the next to crack but by the second last, Harry Cobden had loomed up on Kabral Du Mathan (100-30) and breezed by Latin Verse to win by a length and a half.

Charlie Davies, assistant trainer, said: “It was a very pleasing performance. He has done everything nicely in Ditcheat. When they come over from France, you don’t know what to expect and we were very nervous about having to give all of them 8lb.

“He has jumped brilliantly, done it all very professionally and I think he has done it quite cosily. Hopefully he might be one for the Fred Winter (Boodles) in March.

“I think he is more a Fred Winter horse as to be a Triumph Hurdle horse you have got to be a really good horse, and you would have to take on Burdett Road, while Sir Gino looked very smart the other day.

“I think we will go the Fred Winter route for the time being. He has got to have one more run and maybe we will run him in a decent race and see how good he is.

“You couldn’t be more pleased with how it went as he travelled and jumped brilliantly. It was a very taking debut, giving them all 8lb.”

Ben Pauling was delighted to get Tellherthename’s career back on track with a straightforward success in the Arkle Finance EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

Pauling has made no secret of the regard in which he holds the £200,000 purchase but the wheels came off when upped to Grade One company at Aintree last time out.

Back down in class and following extensive tests, the five-year-old landed odds of 1-4 with the minimum of fuss under Kielan Woods.

“We are back on track. We turned a lot of stones to try to find out what happened at Aintree. We found a few little bits and bobs, but nothing that put us out for that long as you could see,” said Pauling.

“I was just keen to get his season back on track before we dwelt on it for too long. The ground there was soft enough and it is not the good to soft that they have advertised, but he has handled it very well. He is an unbelievably class horse.

“That now gives him his fourth run so he has got the option of the Betfair Hurdle, but the ground would have to be spot on for that otherwise we will go straight to the Supreme with him.

“I think he is a class horse with gears galore and I sometimes think they are best fresh. They go such a gallop in that race (Supreme) and if you are anything but absolutely ready for the day, then you might get caught flat-footed.”



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Ben Pauling keen to get Tellherthename back on track quickly

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Ben Pauling retains plenty of faith in Tellherthename as he attempts to get to the bottom of what caused his disappointing showing in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle.

The five-year-old fetched £200,000 at the sales having got the better of recent Exeter bumper scorer and Envoi Allen’s brother Joyau Allen in the pointing field and backed up that promise in his opening outings under rules, pushing eventual Formby winner Jango Baie all the way at Ascot before bolting up at Huntingdon.

Tellherthename was sent off at odds of 5-1 when making the move to Grade One company on Boxing Day and was up with the pace before stopping quickly approaching three out, eventually being pulled up by jockey Kielan Woods.

Pauling has given the gelding a full MOT following that effort and if nothing comes to light from the extensive bout of testing, the Naunton Downs handler will be content to point towards the testing conditions at Aintree as a plausible reason for Tellherthename’s Formby no-show.

He said: “We’ve explored and turned most stones we can now because we were a bit perplexed at the time as we think he is a bit special. He was just beaten a long way out really for it to be right.

“At the moment we are still investigating but I would pretty much hang my hat on the fact he doesn’t handle that very testing ground.

“Everything so far, all his bloods and stuff, has been good, but we’ve got a few more little bits and bobs to check out.

“He seems very well in himself and if nothing comes to light, I will put it down to the fact he just can’t go on that very soft ground.”

Pauling went on: “I trotted off down the track to try to meet him to make sure he was OK and it was just very hard work.

“It was about as bad a ground I think I’ve seen in a long time and interestingly I shared a lift home with Felix De Giles who rode the French horse, July Flower, in the race and he said it was worse ground than Auteuil by a margin. His horse didn’t even handle the ground and travel to the second hurdle and she is proven on that very soft ground at Auteuil.”

Providing Tellherthename gets the all clear to continue his campaign, Pauling is keen to attempt to restore the talented novice’s confidence at the earliest opportunity.

He will be searching for an opening in calmer waters over the coming weeks where it is hoped the Megson Family-owned gelding can bounce back to his best and reignite spring festival dreams for all connected.

“If nothing comes to light, we will look to get him out in the next 10 days to two weeks in an ordinary novice somewhere, just to get his season back on track,” continued Pauling.

“We can then make plans from there whether we go straight to the Festival or look elsewhere, but as long as the horse is OK.

“From what he did at Huntingdon and before that at Ascot, the form is in the book. He just got touched off by Jango Baie at Ascot and I’m not overly worried about it all – if there is something to find we will find it, if not we will draw a line and go again.

“I think he is a very good horse and as good as we have had for a long time.”



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Tellherthename has Grade One target at Aintree

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Ben Pauling has the Formby Novices’ Hurdle in mind for the promising Tellherthename.

The four-year-old was a point to point winner who made his debut for the stable at Ascot in November, finishing second by just a nose when defeated by Nicky Henderson’s well-regarded Jango Baie.

His next outing was at Huntingdon for a two-mile maiden hurdle and there he was an impressive 14-length winner under Kielan Woods for owners the Megsons.

A step up in grade is now on the agenda as Pauling is aiming the gelding at the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day, a Grade One contest that was formerly known at the Tolworth and run at Sandown.

“It would be very special to win this for the Megsons as they have never had a Grade One winner,” he said.

“It would be wonderful for everyone involved if we could get them their first Grade One winner, but I’m under no illusions and it is not going to be easy.

“There wasn’t really any frustration when he got beat first time out as our horses at the time were needing it so it was good to see him be so competitive against a horse that was highly regarded by Nicky Henderson in Jango Baie.

“We got beaten by a nose, and if we meet again here it would be interesting to see how we get on second time around, but I know how much our lad would have improved from that first run.

“He did what we expected at Huntingdon last time. At the time we thought it was an average enough race, but there was a couple in it with a bit of form.

“We sent him on from the front to try to keep it simple. He did it nicely and won very much with his head in his chest.

“That form has since been franked with the horse that finished second (Lucky Place) winning by 13 lengths up at Doncaster.

“It might not have been as bad a race as we first thought, but it was still good to see him do it in that manner.”

Tellherthename was purchased at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale and is a horse Pauling has thought highly of ever since he arrived in the yard.

He said: “He is a horse we have liked since we got him. He was a shell of a horse when we got him in March at the sale at the Cheltenham Festival.

“We sent him away and he has come in this season and his work has improved from the start. He looks to be a decent animal on the track.

“Since we really truly saw him work in the autumn he was a horse that took our eye at home and thankfully he has transferred that ability to the track.

“He is an exciting novice going forward and you have just got to hope that he jumps and travels and has a clear round at Aintree.”



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