The Jukebox Man looks set to have his first run over fences later this month© Photo Healy Racing
Ben Pauling is tempted to let The Jukebox Man make his chasing debut in Grade Two company at Newbury’s upcoming Coral Gold Cup meeting.
Caught in the dying strides of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, having cut out most of the running, he rates an exciting prospect over fences.
Pauling is looking at the John Francome Novices’ Chase over two and a half miles for his Harry Redknapp-owned charge.
“He is a huge talent; he ran very well at Cheltenham and Aintree last year, just getting pipped both times. He is a lovely horse for the future, he jumps very well,” said Pauling.
“He’s not necessarily a brilliant workhorse, on the all-weather he just does what he needs to do. You put him on the grass and he just motors.”
Pauling could also be represented in the feature Coral Gold Cup by Henry’s Friend.
“We’ve had a bit of an interrupted process leading up to the Coral Gold Cup which is our main aim. I wasn’t sure if I would run him or not, I felt that running him at Newbury was going to hopefully bring him to life and it really did,” said Pauling of his first outing of the season over hurdles.
“He came back a completely different horse to the one that went into the race. He had a lovely gallop round and qualified for the Pertemps as there were only four runners.
“We tried to see where we were stamina-wise in the amateur chase (National Hunt Chase, at Cheltenham) but he just didn’t turn up that day, the Reynoldstown left its mark. I’ve got no concerns over the trip, we know he likes the track so fingers crossed. He just wouldn’t want the ground to go heavy.”
