Aintree: Twig wins Becher Chase crown for Ben Pauling and Beau Morgan after thrilling battle with Mr Vango | Racing News
Twig fought his way to a hard-fought victory for Ben Pauling in the William Hill Half A Mill Becher Handicap Chase at Aintree.
The 10-year-old was ridden by Beau Morgan for his mother and horse owner, Georgia, and started an 18-1 chance for the three-mile handicap over two furlongs in a field of 13.
Bay stayed out of trouble as Mahon’s Glory took a large lead, but as the race progressed the stamina showed up and it was Twig who had it in reserve to defeat Mr Vango and achieve success by a short head in a thrilling duel.
After a photo finish and a tense wait following a stewards’ investigation, the winning driver said: “It was a nerve-wracking 20 minutes. My head was down and I had no idea. I just sat there with my fingers crossed, hoping for the best.”
“Normally those finishing photos don’t come for me but, thank goodness, the one time it mattered, it did.
“Every time this horse wins, there is always an investigation by the stewards. He is one of those horses that, if you hit the front too early, will brake suddenly.
“We chased the horse that had a big lead and we probably got there a little too early, but it worked out well for us.
“We were always waiting for this horse to pass us and give us a little challenge in the race. He dug deep today and I owe him everything.
“The pace of the race didn’t really help my boy and the terrain probably wasn’t ideal for him. He didn’t travel as well as usual, but it worked wonderfully.”
Pauling, who was celebrating his second success that day, added: “He was also an absolute horse hero for Beau and the Morgans.
“He ran a blinder and Beau gave him a nice ride. He jumped for fun and ended up alone in front.
“He was a horse who literally couldn’t get out of his way for some of my lovely owners called the Strangmans. He ran in two races and got overtaken.
“We said we didn’t have a lot of time or money to spend, and I said Beau Morgan was about to start pointing, so I said what about him as a pointer, so they sold him for £100. They wanted the Morgan family to be responsible for the horse in the future.
“It’s a huge relief and I’m just delighted for Beau and the horse. It was a very close race and Sara (Bradstock’s) horse (Mr Vango) ran incredibly well, but we’re relieved.”
Pauling’s other winner was Taurus Bay, who showed plenty of heart in beating favorite Captain Hugo 4-6 in the Daily Bet Boosts At William Hill Novices’ Hurdle.
The four-year-old was bought for £155,000 in February after winning on his point-to-point debut and he wasted no time in hitting the mark for his new side when they won at Stratford in October.
Returning a 15-8 chance into the hands of Ben Jones in this three-runner affair, Taurus Bay continued to press and eventually came back to four and a quarter lengths ahead of Captain Hugo, securing a 25-1 quote from Coral for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Pauling said: “He is very good indeed. He jumped better than at Stratford and he was smart when he needed to be. He went to bed well after the last one and he did everything here today.
“They didn’t go very fast and our boy is going to stay very well so Ben wasn’t going to fight very early, but he said they went at a calm gallop so he thought he would put the pressure on very early.
“I was more impressed with the way he jumped last and took off, because I didn’t have that horse down for two miles.
“He’s probably doing it because he’s good rather than because he’s a speed machine. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
