Ginger Joe - Ben Pauling Stable Tour - September 2024

Ben Pauling gives his views on the stable stars at Naunton

With the 2024/25 National Hunt season almost here, I thought it would be a great time to catch up with Cheltenham trainer Ben Pauling. We discussed his plans for the upcoming Jumps season and talked about a few of his equine stars. To hear all of Ben's thoughts and insights you will need to check out my video, but I have put together a quick overview of the highlights here.

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Some of the Naunton stars

Ben Pauling had plenty of success last season and he has a fantastic team of horses to do battle with for the 2024/25 season too. One of the Naunton highlights last year was the very smart mare Diva Luna taking an Aintree Grade 2, but Ben also had a fine season with The Jukebox Man who finished runner up in Grade 1s at Cheltenham and Aintree. Ben has many more horses primed for the season ahead, but there are three in particular that caught my attention.

The Jukebox Man

The Jukebox Man excelled as a Novice Hurdler over the longer trips last season. He ranked highest of the British contenders at Cheltenham and Aintree, finishing runner up in both Grade 1s. He was desperately unlucky not to win at Cheltenham, where he was literally beaten on the nod, but it was a seriously good performance nonetheless. It was great to see him back it up at Aintree too, just to confirm that it wasn't a fluke.

He currently runs off a mark of 148, which leaves him open to contesting more Grade 1s this season, so he certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Ben Pauling said he will most likely start him off over 2m 4f, but is hoping to work up to some three-mile Novice Chases as the season progresses. Whatever happens, all roads lead to Cheltenham for this gelding.

Diva Luna

Diva Luna won two Bumpers for the Pauling team last season. On her debut at Market Rasen she beat a subsequent winner from the Dan Skelton team. Then she was seriously impressive on her second start, going away from a strong 16-runner field to win a Grade 2 at Aintree. Jockey Kielan Woods actually lost his whip on the home straight that day, but it didn’t cause any issues as she quickened away to win by more than three lengths.

For this season, Ben has decided she will go straight into Novice Hurdling, saying she has been electric while schooling over Hurdles at home. She looks like a mare of the highest order and her obvious long-term target is the Mares’ Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Diva Luna is a very classy mare to keep on side during the new season.

Fiercely Proud

Fiercely Proud started off his Novice Hurdle campaign with two wins on his first two starts, then followed up by placing in two Grade 2s. All of those efforts were full of promise considering he was still fairly green at the time. Even though things didn’t go quite to plan for him next time out at Sandown, there was still plenty to like about his profile. With that season behind him and a summer on his back, Fiercely Proud is open to plenty of improvement again this year.

He has been given an early season target of the Greatwood Hurdle in November, and he looks an ideal sort to go that route. Ben says he may give him another run after that before he gets to Cheltenham, just to sharpen him up. Whatever happens, he is an exciting sort that is definitely remaining over Hurdles for another season. Make sure that you add him to your notebooks.

My Ben Pauling video

Ben Pauling 2024/25 Stable Tour | The Jukebox Man | Diva Luna | Handstands | Newcomers |. Ginger Joe

Ben Pauling’s notable horses

Without a doubt, these are the names to add to your Trackers for the 2024/2025 Jumps season!

• The Jukebox Man
• Diva Luna
• Fiercely Proud

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