We were delighted for racehorse trainer, Ben Pauling (Eg 00-02), who had wonderful success at the Cheltenham Festival.
Shakem Up’Arry won the Plate Handicap Chase, making it Ben’s fourth Cheltenham Festival success. It was a first win for jockey Ben Jones and for owner Harry Redknapp. In a post-race interview, Ben exclaimed: “He [Shakem Up’Arry] deserved his big day and that’s that. It’s so important to have winners here.”
During the Festival, Ben also had two second places, with Twig in the Ultima Handicap Chase on the opening day and with The Jukebox Man in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on the final day. Ben ended the Festival as the second top British trainer, after Dan Skelton.
The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle for any National Hunt trainer, with home wins harder than ever to come by this year in the face of a powerful Irish challenge. Ben’s Naunton stables have been in tremendous form this season, with 66 winners so far.
Ben Pauling is enjoying his tenth year in his training career, having started his journey as assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson. In 2013 he established Ben Pauling Racing with just eight horses which were mainly owned by friends and family. Since then, he has gone from strength-to-strength and last year opened a brand-new state-of-the-art training facility at Naunton Downs where he now trains over 110 horses.