High Bridge fired up for Betfair Hurdle challenge at Newbury racecourse reports trainer Ben Pauling
Pauling's seven-year-old has been in great form this season and connections are hopeful of another big run at Newbury this Saturday
BEN PAULING can't wait to run High Bridge in Saturday's Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.
Pauling's seven-year-old seems to save his best for this track and was last seen winning the Gerry Feilden over this course and distance.
He had previously put in a decent effort when third to Elgin at Ascot on his only other start this season.
"He's had a very uninterrupted preparation for the race and we're going there all guns blazing," said Pauling.
"It's a track he particularly likes and we're very much looking forward to having him there."
His rivals include Amy Murphy's stable star Kalashnikov who was last seen finishing second in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.
Murphy told At The Races: "I just hope they don't get as much rain as forecast. Hopefully he goes there with a live chance.
"I think we'll learn a lot about where we go after this. He's shown a turn of foot so far, but he's got plenty of stamina in his pedigree."
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Gary Moore has won the race three times in the last 10 runnings with Heathcote (2007), Wingman (2008) and Violet Dancer (2015). This year the trainer saddles Knocknanuss.
He said: "He won well at Fontwell, although in fairness it was a bad race that day.
"He is a very low mileage horse and he has run more times this season than his whole career beforehand.
"Once he won on Boxing Bay, it was always the intention to go for the Betfair Hurdle. I hope he has it in him to run well in a race like this.
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Peter Atkinson is hoping to make the most of what he feels could be a once in a lifetime opportunity in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.
A pig farmer by trade, Atkinson trains just a couple of horses but one of them is proving to be a genuine diamond in the rough.
Irish Roe produced a career-best performance when pushing Maria's Benefit all the way in a Grade 2 at Doncaster a fortnight ago.
He said: "Just because she's favourite doesn't mean she's going to win, but she seems well and we're happy with her at home.
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"She went up 11lb for the run at Doncaster, so she's rated 145 now and runs in this off 134. She's not going to have the chance to run in a handicap off 134 again, or at least not for a while.
"There's a huge amount of money on offer and this probably won't happen to us again.
"The main thing we want is for her to come out of it in one piece and we can live to fight another day. Horses like this don't come around too often for people like us."