Hear the full interview
From 13:23 in Monday’s episode of Nick Luck Daily. Press play to start at the interview.
Ben Pauling says he has always had “huge confidence” in Taurus Bay, who beat No Drama This End and Talk To The Man in Saturday’s Rising Stars Novices’ Chase at Aintree.
Taurus Bay spoiled the much-hyped clash between Paul Nicholls’s No Drama This End, the 11-8 on favourite, and his former stablemate Talk To The Man, now trained by Dan Skelton. Pauling said he was not surprised by the horse, only by the win. “I suppose I was surprised we won on Saturday,” he told Nick Luck. “But I’m not surprised he was the best horse. I’ve always had huge confidence in him.”
‘A great brain on him’
“He was a very narrow, weak horse when we bought him, and he still is one of those that’s going to struggle to hold the strength and condition he needs to compete at the top this season, so he’ll be lightly campaigned,” Pauling said. “But he’s always shown us a lovely attitude at home. He’s got a great brain on him. He wouldn’t be flash at home, but he gave us glimmers of a real smart horse last season.”
He believes people read too much into Taurus Bay’s run in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival. “Off the back of the Trials Day race, he literally just disappeared in front of our eyes and didn’t want to know about life,” he said. “He came to life a week before the Festival, and I thought, why not, for a bit of experience? He actually travelled until two out, when he made a mistake.”
“He’s always shown us a lovely attitude at home. He’s got a great brain on him.”
Ben Pauling on Taurus Bay
Meetmebythesea primed for Paddy Power Gold Cup
Pauling also has the favourite for Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Meetmebythesea won at last season’s Festival and now races off a mark of 151. “I personally hope he’s a graded horse. I’ve always liked him a lot,” Pauling said. “He doesn’t do anything flash at home. He’s done plenty of work for the race, because you can’t go there half fit, especially off a mark like that. If we can keep him in the form he’s been in for the last few weeks, I’d be really excited to see how he goes.”
He expects to run seven or eight over Cheltenham’s three days, though finding suitable ground has been tricky. “That’s why Taurus Bay ended up in the race he did, because you just scratch your head trying to find ground you think is OK to run on,” he said. “We’d love to see a bit of good to soft come into the going description.”
Dancing for Racing Welfare
Pauling also swapped the yard for the dance floor at Racing Welfare’s Racing Come Dancing. “The standard was really high. It was a brilliant event,” he said. “Everyone went in there with the right attitude of getting stuck in and smiling and laughing and enjoying it, which made for a great evening.”
The Skeltons were joint winners with Mattie Batchelor and his partner, and Pauling thought Batchelor’s Charleston was the best dance of the night. “For once, Mattie was properly whipped into shape and told where to be and when to be,” he said. “They were first class.” Donations to Racing Welfare are still open.
