BEN Pauling believes he has the strongest squad of horses for the Cheltenham Festival he has ever trained – spearheaded by his Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup contender The Jukebox Man.

The Naunton Downs-based trainer has trained four winners at the Festival – Willoughby Court in 2017, Le Breuil in 2019, Global Citizen in 2022 and Shakem Up’arry in 2024.

Speaking at a media morning at his yard organised by The Jockey Club, he said: “This is the best team I’ve had going into The Festival. I’m determined not to take horses that I don’t think are going to run well, but with Aintree being a proper month from Cheltenham, you can roll the dice with a lot of them again. I think you can have a good go at both of them.

“It would be disappointing if we didn’t end up with at least one winner this year.

“We are very aware of how dominant the Irish have been and how many quality horses they have got so all this chat about the British making a resurgence is half through the desire to be more competitive, but I do believe we’ve got a lot of nice horses and more competitive horses.

“The Prestbury Cup – who’s going to win it? More than likely it’ll be the Irish but it might only be by two or three and not 15. It’s important we keep trying to improve and find better horses and it’s important that we stay competitive because the whole sport needs us to be.

“I realise how good the Irish are and I’m a huge fan of Gordon’s, of Willie’s and of Henry’s. They turn up time and time again and just hit Cheltenham running. That’s where we’ve got to get to. We’ve got Nicky and Paul but it’s now down to the younger brigade.”

Pauling ran the rule over his Festival contenders.

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase

I think Harry (Redknapp, owner) will agree, this whole season was geared around getting him to the King George. It was a nerve-wracking return in the autumn because of course he’d had his injury and you never know how they’re going to react to having had an injury.

We brought him back slowly and we were nervous that he wasn’t fit enough for Haydock, but he did it nicely. Harry and I had already discussed it for a long time that if we were lucky enough to run well in the King George, we’d probably have to look at a Gold Cup. He’s come out the King George very well. Actually, better than I ever expected. Had I wanted to, I probably could have put a Denman Chase in there or something.

And so having a horse of his calibre in the form, touch wood, that he seems to be in at the moment, going into the Gold Cup, is an exceptionally exciting thing for me, for Soph, for the whole team here.

But to be doing it with a man like Harry, who not only is a bit of a national treasure, but we’ve had a great relationship with for the last, I think, seven or eight years now.

It’s a special thing for all of us. And I just hope we can get him there in the form that he can be, because then he’s going to give us one hell of a day.

I personally think it’ll be a much better test for The Jukebox Man than the King George. He won the Kauto Star, so we think, well, grand, he likes Kempton.

He jumps, touch wood, very, very well. And that is key to these top class three-mile chases or three-mile plus. You have to be able to jump and travel. If you’re behind the bridle or you’re missing fences, it’s going to be hard work.

I think from the back of three out, I honestly thought he’d go and win the King George as it was panning out, by two or three relatively comfortably. And between the back of three out and to the last, they didn’t just gain on us but he was behind again.

It was only his tenacity and will to win that got his head back in front of the line. It wasn’t because he was, you know, a speedy horse that just took off. I personally think that the one thing I’m not deluded about is that the performance he’s put up to date doesn’t win a Gold Cup traditionally.

You could also make a case for seven or eight horses in the Gold Cup. That’s why it’s going to be such a fascinating race again. It’s a little bit like the King George.

And now what people will say is there’s not a standout, and that’s right. But you can bet your bottom dollar that on the 13th of March, four o’clock in the afternoon, there will be a new standout, because something will have to step out of that crowd to go and win the race. And I jolly well hope it’s us and we’ll be doing everything we can.

If he’s in the best form he can be and we can do no more. The King George, we had a lot more questions to answer.

We were still only rated 155. Realistically, we hadn’t beaten the novice season we’d had with only two runs. And yes, there was some nice form in behind, but it was hardly Grade 1 form.

He had to step forward 15lb, and he did. So faced with another task, if he can improve again, he’s going to be competitive.

He is the first proper open Grade 1 horse that we’ve had. I think there’s some others around here, but he’s the one that stands out.

We kept finding Grade 1 novice horses that, for whatever reason, didn’t find their way into Grade 1 chases or hurdles in open company. And it wasn’t a frustration for me, but it was an annoyance. We were just doing things wrong.

And I suppose having a horse of this calibre and having a horse that Harry owns going into a Gold Cup with so much promise is nothing but an exciting situation for us to be in, really. We’re enjoying it and we’re very fortunate.

We’ve got a lot of nice horses that are coming to the fore this season and I think we’re going to field a relatively small, sort of 10, 12, maybe 14-strong team for Cheltenham, but I would expect every single one of them to go there and run a good race.

Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

She whacked a joint earlier in the season but all of a sudden, she’s just come alive again. She will go to the Mares’ Chase with a great chance. She ran incredibly well there last year considering the season she’d had.

She obviously acts around the track. She won there on New Year’s Day. She was third in the mares’ novice hurdle last year when she was not right. If she goes there this year, she’ll be bang on.”

Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase

Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase

Ryanair Chase

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase

“He came back in and looked unbelievable. And he was strong, he was big, he was moving well. And he went to Carlisle and just looked rusty. He then went to the Betfair Chase and I honestly thought down the back that Grey Dawning is going to have to go some because we’ve seen an improved horse here. And then as he turned in, he lugged left and just flopped home and made everything look hard work. Ben got off him and I said, how was his wind? He said, fine.

But Tim Radford was insistent that we should just get his wind checked. We got his wind checked and his soft palate is really unstable. So we lasered it and did what’s called the Llewellyn.

I firmly believe after any soft palate operation, they have to then believe in themselves. I took him to Lambourn to do a piece of work and it was lethargic. And I said to Tim, look, he hasn’t worked the house down. But that piece will pull him forward.

I was keen to go to the Denman Chase. Tim was keen to go to the Fleur de Lys. And we’re very much a team. We went to the Fleur de Lys, and gave 8lb to Protektorat. He’s come out of that race and it’s like a bull in a china shop and a totally different animal. His work has been brilliant. He worked well at Warwick on Friday night. I just think he’s back.

I had him down last year as an equal to The Jukebox Man the whole way through the season. In fact, Handstands has by far the best form. He’s beaten Jango Baie in the Sydney Banks. He’s beaten him in the Scilly Isles. Jango Baie is 9/2 for a Gold Cup and we’re 100/1.

I’m not saying we’re going to go to the Gold Cup because I think it’s a competitive race. And there’s a lot of people that say he’s a two and a half miler.

I’ve entered him in the National because I think he’s incredibly well handicapped and I think he’ll stay all day. But if the Ryanair cut up a bit, he would be a genuine runner in that, and I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t competitive. We night even think about a pair of cheekpieces.”

Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase

Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase

Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase

Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

I suppose this is going to be a lot of a big discussion with the owners (Mal Bloodstock), who are some of my best owners, they’re brilliant people, they understand the game and they’re very, very easy to deal with. A novice in the Plate is probably slightly feeling right to me.

He sort of ended up running four times by default and I was never thinking, I want to get him in the Plate. He’s got hardy, handicap form and I think that what he doesn’t want is a three-runner race where he’s floating around at the back on heavy ground and uncompetitive.

He’s an arrogant sod and he’s got loads of ability. So the Plate is sort of where I’m probably leaning. But the owners might say no, he’s a novice.

Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

He’s only got the one entry, so if he’s in good form, there’s only one place he goes.

Turners Novices’ Hurdle

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

He obviously came out of the Maxwell dispersal. I didn’t really know much about him, but he seemed a nice type. Ludlow was grand, Ascot was good and it just seems like he’s come alive. He seems incredibly fresh and well in himself.

He’s in the Turners and the Albert Bartlett. I’m not certain he’s an Albert Bartlett horse. I’ve not made my mind up yet. I think he’ll stay every yard but doesn’t necessarily need a slog.

Turners Novices’ Hurdle

I think he’s genuinely out of the top drawer as well. He’s definitely going to be a better horse with another summer on his back. He’s always been a horse, I’ve been telling Harry, that we’ve got to mind the whole time, because too much racing and he’ll just melt away.

“But we’ll see how he is over the next two weeks. And if he’s absolutely cherry-ripe, he’ll join the team of Cheltenham in the Turners. And if he isn’t, he’ll go to Aintree.”

Vandepoel

Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup

He’s got the profile of an improving novice, which is always helpful in a race like the Grand Annual. He didn’t turn up first two runs of the season, to be honest. I thought he was going to be one of my best novice chasers and after he ran at Lingfield, I was mightily disappointed.

And then Ascot, he sort of looked a little bit lethargic early doors and then all of a sudden, I think the race set up very nicely for him.

He won and looked a much better horse around Sandown. If he gets a nice passage, he’s in very good order and he’ll have a right squeak.”