Ben Pauling Stable Tour 2023/24 - Key quotes from the in-form trainer

He is a horse that came over from France and I chucked him in at the deep end in the Boodles at Cheltenham. It just didn’t work out that day and he was beaten 12 lengths. He then went to Ascot and had no luck in running. He is a horse I really like and he’s not huge but has a great attitude and I think he will win lots of races this season.

He is a huge talent, but a bit of a monkey and he should have won more races than he has. He is a very nice horse with a lot of ability, and he will go straight for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

He is another who I think the world of as he makes the step from hurdling to novice chasing. He has only had three runs over hurdles, and he will go chasing. He annoyingly had a little setback so he won’t be seen until Christmas, and I was in two minds whether to leave him hurdling or go chasing but I think we will go chasing as he’s 17 hands.

He’s going for the Old Roan first time out and then probably go for the Coral Gold Cup. He could be a Grand National Horse. He has had a wind operation and I think it will make a big difference to him. He is an unbelievable jumper.

He is a horse who has plenty of ability to win a novice hurdle and for various reasons he just wasn’t 100 per cent last season. I did have him in the Persian War but I think it looked a decent renewal so I didn’t leave him in, but he will be seen out very soon. He is surely capable of winning off his mark or in novices this season.

He is a nice horse who was bought from Doncaster he is very athletic and jumps nicely. He is working well and is a very nice recruit to have. I would imagine we would go straight novice hurdling.

She won her point-to-point and was second in her bumper. I was disappointed the other day at Bangor as she made a mistake four out and at the last and flew at the finish and was just beaten a neck. She is well up to winning a few mares’ novices’ hurdle and might be one for the Mares’ Final at Newbury towards the backend of the year.

We like Flash. He was a lot of money, but he has done nothing but please us since we bought him. He was backward and weak last year so we have given him plenty of time and he will go novice hurdling over two and a half miles plus. He moves beautifully and is probably a classy animal and one for the future. He could be ready the first or second week of November.

He is a lovely horse with huge ability. We have had to tinker with his wind and, hopefully, he will be back around Christmas time. He has loads of ability if his wind holds up.

I’m a big fan of this fella and he is doing everything right at home. He won his point-to-point as he liked, and I think he is a good one. I look forward to seeing him out over two and a half miles in November.

He won a bumper for Christian Williams and then came to us after he had recovered from his injury. He was second in his only start for us and he probably has got quite a bit of ability, but he is probably a staying chaser for a year’s time. He will win his novice hurdles this season.

He is a lovely horse, and I can’t believe I didn’t win a bumper with him. He is very talented, but he is a chaser all day long. He will run in two and a half mile novice hurdles this season and it won’t take long for him to get his head in front.

He is a horse that is still very unexposed. We will probably stay over hurdles this season as I think he has room to manoeuvre off his mark, but he is a chaser for next year and I hope he will develop into a lovely horse.

He is a very talented individual, and you have to write off his two runs the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree and he wasn’t right for whatever reason. On his day he is very talented and a two-mile novice hurdler all day long. He has loads of boot and his work has been very good this year.

He is another horse we picked up this season and he wants better ground so he will have one more run. He will go for the Pertemps Qualifier at Cheltenham at the end of October and then will have his winter break and come back for the spring.

He ran once last year and won impressively and then got a leg. He is back cantering away and hopefully he can make his presence felt in staying handicap hurdles this season.

He was a huge disappointment last year because of wind issue so we have given a hobday and, hopefully, we can see some of his ability. If we can only get half of it out, we will be very happy. His point-to-point form when he was in Ireland was phenomenal. We have to hope his winds hold otherwise we have no hope.

He has lot of ability and I think a lot of him. He won his bumper very well and somehow got beat by a horse of Harry Fry’s (Gidleigh Park) previously so that must be some piece of kit as we think plenty of The Jukebox Man. He is a proper two and half plus stayer, but he is not slow.

Apple Rock has a level, but he is a nice horse and I think he will improve for an extended trip. Going chasing over further than three miles is ideal.

He is a horse everyone likes a lot and I still think he is nowhere near his mark. He is still a novice for this season, but we will have a tilt at the Coral Trophy. First up I would imagine he could have a prep run in a hurdle race or even a novice handicap chase somewhere. He is in great form with himself, and it is very much all guns blazing for the Coral Trophy.

He is a nice enough horse who will improve for a fence. He ran well last season and should win a few more this season.

He is horse that has never quite hit the heights but he’s very nice and become a lovely horse. On the ability he has shown at home I am hoping he will become at better horse over fences than he was as hurdler.

He should make his mark in novice chases. He was nice novice hurdler last year but was a big backward type, but he jumps for fun, and chasing is his game. I am hoping he will make up into a decent novice chaser this season.

He came from France and didn’t feature in the Triumph Hurdle or at Aintree. He hadn’t acclimatised and I think he will go very well this season in novice chases.

He is returning from an injury, but it won’t do him any harm having a year off as he was a big, backward sort. Although he won a few hurdles, he was definitely a chaser and I look forward to getting him back at the backend of November.

He was a big backward hurdler last season who has come on in leaps and bounds. He was made to be a chaser and hopefully he will become a much better chaser than he was a hurdler.

He is a horse who I think will continue to improve this year. I would imagine he will be aimed at some of the better staying handicap chases this year and could have a tilt at the Welsh National. He starts in the Pertemps Qualifier at Cheltenham at the end of this month as a prep run to go chasing again. He has improved a lot and we hope that keeps going.

He is an interesting one as he wasn’t bought for a lot of money, and he has won four for us. I actually think he wants soft ground so he is having a little break and will come back for a winter campaign. I don’t think he’s near his mark quite yet.

He has been a star this summer and he runs at Cheltenham in October. We are very happy with how he is going and, hopefully, he can keep progressing.

He is a horse who had a brilliant season in 2022/23 and should improve again and maybe have some nice targets in the second half of the season in staying handicap chases. He is better on soft ground, and he would have gone close in the Bet365 at Sandown, but we didn’t run him as the ground was too quick.

He is a lovely old boy who is too consistent for his own good but will, hopefully, land one or two this season. He is a real favourite in the yard, and we will probably aim him at Veterans’ Chases this season.

He is bit of a legend of a horse, and he will probably go back for the Salmon Spray Handicap Hurdle at Fontwell that he has won for the last two years and then go back over fences. The application of cheekpieces has brought the best out of him.

He goes to Cheltenham in October and then probably the Coral Gold Cup. He just has to have good ground or good to soft at worst. He is an amazing horse really.

He is another who has thrived, and he is back run once more in the autumn and will go for the Amateur Riders’ Chase at Cheltenham. He will then have the winter off and come back in the spring.

He will run in the same race we won last year at Ascot in November then he will probably be campaigned to run in the Topham Trophy at Aintree. You might not see him between those two runs as he needs to be fresh.

She is a nice filly who didn’t show an awful lot at home but came alive on the track. Hopefully, she is up to winning her bumper before going novice hurdling.

She is a nice mare who was bought at Doncaster and is working well. She will run at the end of the month.