'We think he'll run well' - can Ben Pauling continue his red-hot run of form?

Tuesday: 3.45 Bangor
GBR Everyone's Turf Handicap Hurdle | 2m½f | 3yo+ | Sky

The summer has been kind to Ben Pauling as the trainer has saddled 15 winners from 40 runners at a 38 per cent strike-rate since the start of June.

Backing Pauling's runners in that time to £1 stakes would have yielded a tidy £25.33 profit, and he landed this race last season with a 20-1 shot, so he appears the logical place to start.

Norley represents the yard this time and was backed from 17-2 into 5-2 favouritism at Worcester in July on his return from a 238-day break.

The influx of money suggested Norley would have been ready for the task but he faded into fourth after jumping the last awkwardly and almost unseated Luca Morgan.

If the run was needed more than expected, he is a major player off a 1lb lower mark and could easily pick up where he left off in his previous campaign.

The early market has latched on to Zamond for Donald McCain and Brian Hughes, who combined to snare this pot in 2019. Zamond earned his first victory for the trainer at the ninth time of asking with a game success at Cartmel in July and is in with a fair shout if arriving in the same form.

Iberia was once rated 106 on the Flat having contested the National Stakes and Irish Derby for Aidan O'Brien a few years ago, but has shown little over hurdles for Gary Hanmer and is best watched.

This is quite open and one who could go well at a price is Faro, who returns off the same mark as when a fair second over this course and distance at odds of 40-1 last time.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

What they say

Mark Walford, trainer of Fenna's Loss
He's been in good form since that run at Perth. It didn't really go to plan that day, they went very slow and we had to make the running, which was far from ideal. Hopefully, a bit of a stronger pace will see him perform better. We're hoping he's got a fair mark and we think he should go well.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Norley
He ran well at Worcester last time out, he just took a blow going towards two out. Hopefully, he's come on fitness wise and he should be in a good place to produce a good run. We think he'll run well.

Gary Hanmer, trainer of Iberia and Steel Wave
Iberia has been disappointing. On his form in Ireland he should be well capable in this grade. We're reaching for the blinkers to try and stimulate some sort of improvement. Steel Wave had a busy campaign last year; it's his first run back after a break and hopefully he'll go well. He seemed to be in good form last term and he's been back cantering now for six weeks or so.

Derek Shaw, trainer of Seaborough
He's been unlucky, he's been running respectably without winning unfortunately, but he's in good order. He ran well at Market Rasen and he sometimes runs his better races against better horses with the low weight as he's only a small horse.
Reporting by Charlie Huggins

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