Horse Racing Sports

Ben Pauling’s Quinta Do Mar looks to target Kempton’s classic contest

Nauton Downs-based trainer Ben Pauling is hoping QUINTA DO MAR can light up Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday in the prestigious Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.

The Gloucestershire operator currently has five entries for the feature day of the weekend at this early stage and his eight-year-old gelding is a leading contender for the £100,000 contest.

Having held a training license for 10 years under his own name, the 39-year-old was previously assistant trainer at Nicky Henderson in Lambourn, a six-time Champion Trainer, and despite his wealth of knowledge, Pauling is yet to win Kempton’s feature event.

“He’s been prepped for this race,” explained Pauling. “He’s in good order and we haven’t run him as much as we did last year.

Quinta Do Mar (pictured) is set to have his third run of the season in the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.

“He didn’t run badly at Uttoxeter over fences two starts ago and that race is now red hot in the formbook – he’ll stick to hurdles for the rest of the season with a view to going novice handicap chasing next year.

“The form from Fontwell has also worked out very well – Irish Rose in second has won a couple since, and the horse who finished third has won a handicap since, so hopefully we will be in a good position to be competitive.

“He wouldn’t be one that wants bottomless ground, but I think he’ll cope with the soft ground at Kempton.”

His weekend team is also bolstered by the chances of SLIPWAY, the recent Southern National winner at Fontwell, as he is entered for both Kempton and the Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick.

The Grade 1-winning trainer said: “I’d like to think that he will run somewhere, if the ground is bottomless at Warwick, we might head towards Kempton.

“The Classic Chase is made for him, to be honest, but he doesn’t really want bottomless ground, so we’ll have to be careful about him from that side of things.

“He stays very, very well, but I’m not sure he wants heavy ground – he came out of Fontwell very well, he seems in good order at home, and I think he is a horse that is improving.”

If the decision is taken to send Slipway to Kempton rather than the Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick, won last year by Emma Lavelle’s Éclair Surf, Pauling will still be represented through NESTOR PARK.

This experienced chaser is only rated five pounds higher than his Newbury success in February and he has won at the course before, causing the Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer to be optimistic about his chances, as he said: “He loves bottomless ground and I think he is going to be very well suited by the 3m5f test.

“I think he’s almost certain to run – he did a very good piece of work this morning so he’s in a good place ahead of the weekend.

With 60 victories to his name in this campaign, Pauling is already 16 winners ahead of his 2021-22 total and he has been pleased by the progress his team has been making.

“I’ve been delighted with the season so far, everything seems in very good order, all the horses seem well, and this is our best total to date.

“Hopefully we can keep going within the yard.”

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