The Grade One tilt now hints at Handstands when he won the DragonBet Towton Novices’ Chase at Ffos Las to add another Grade Two win to his CV.
Carrying a 5lb penalty for his win at the same level at Sandown in December, the Ben Pauling-trained gelding came to the fore from the drop of the flag alongside Sherry d’Am.
The latter eventually eased away after Handstands and Ben Jones took over in fourth, slowing the even-money favorite a bit.
Lord Of Thunder did very well to get back into it and try to go with him after being heavily hampered after a Range drop, but Handstands were always in control and drew just after the last.
They were the only two to finish in what turned out to be a brutal affair.
Pauling said: “I was fascinated and we were learning a lot because we had never run on that sticky, hard, hardworking ground before.
“I’ve heard the reaction and some people have suggested he’s a bit of a novice, but I think he’s just learning to get off the ground to be honest, and as a result put in too much effort and bubbled as a result.
Handstands is likely to head to Sandown following his success at Towton on his next outing
“At the end of the day he’s done really well and Ben was delighted with how he jumped after he ballooned the ditch and it’s another step in the right direction. It looked like a competitive enough field on paper and I know , that there was some unhappiness in the third, but I think they were all nearing the end of their tether, and that’s probably why they fell.
“I was really blown away by how well he was going to go home, he just came off the corner really fast and kind of laid the race down and after the last he kind of sped up again.
“Ben said he finished the race as fresh as a daisy and didn’t think he had too hard a race, which is quite extraordinary given the ground today. I’m just delighted and it’s another step on the road to having a nice one.” : , advanced young novice chaser.’
Handstands can now make a relatively quick return to action at Sandown on February 1 for a step up in the Grade One company’s Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.
And with Pauling and the gelding’s owners looking to bypass the Cheltenham Festival and a potential clash with high-profile stablemate The Jukebox Man, the six-year-old could go to Aintree in the spring instead.
“It’s a pretty quick turnaround for the Isles of Scilly, but it will be very much on our minds if he comes out in good form,” Pauling continued.
“The Radfords have never been too fussed about going to Cheltenham with him this year, they’re not trying to avoid it, but they think the Isles of Scilly and possibly Aintree could be the way forward and I can’t say I disagree.
“If we can get to the Isles of Scilly in good form he will be plenty busy and it will be his fourth outing this season and that and Aintree could round off a really great season for him.”
He continued. “We have some lovely horses and we are lucky that the owners will buy them for us. So I have to really thank them.
“Of course, I wouldn’t really want to go to Cheltenham to play Jukebox Man, but if the Redfords wanted to go I would. It’s a good position to be able to keep them apart, though.”
