The Jukebox Man could be in for a big season ahead over fences as he geared up for his pending chasing debut with a racecourse gallop at Newbury yesterday.
Having been collared close home after making the running in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, Ben Pauling's charge once again filled the runner-up spot in top-level company when finding only Dancing City too strong in the Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree a month later.
With a prolonged dry spell across the UK making soft ground effectively non-existent, Pauling has struggled to find a suitable starting point for his latest stable star over fences, meaning The Jukebox Man could make his eagerly-anticipated chasing debut in the Grade 2 John Francome Novices' Chase over two and a half miles at Newbury in two weeks' time.
"That was very pleasing what we saw this morning," said Pauling on Sky Sports Racing. "He was dropped in and given room, so he had to work to get to them and he's ended up getting there and tanked through the line. Hopefully, that will put him spot on,"
"It's been a bit of an annoyance trying to find somewhere for him to go but I'm sure a lot of people are in the same boat with these great big chasing types. Whether or not we come here (Newbury) for the Grade 2 first time out, we'll see. There's another option at Aintree afterwards but I like the look of what I saw this morning. He handles soft ground and he's a good jumper.
"He's a horse hopefully out of the top drawer and I hope he can prove it this year."
The Jukebox Man was joined by Coral Gold Cup hopeful Henry's Friend, who impressed Pauling with his work at Newbury.
"Henry's Friend will go for the Coral Gold Cup," said Pauling. "He had a lovely spin round here the last meeting and that was just about perfect this morning. I'm very sweet with how his preparations have gone. Nico (De Boinville) rode him today and he was very sweet on him which was nice because he wouldn't sit on him much anymore."
Pauling also provided an update on Fine Casting and Shakem Up'arry, who like The Jukebox Man, is owned by ex-football manager Harry Redknapp.
Pauling said: "Fine Casting was good. I wasn't expecting him to be as straight as that so he's in good order. Whether we can find something for him here (Newbury) I don't know but he looked in real good form there.
"Shakem Up'arry owes us absolutely nothing. He's a ten-year-old, first-time-out last year he pulled up at Stratford and I think this could be a bit of a thing. I'm not overly worried, Callum (Pritchard) worked him at Windsor last Monday and he worked brilliantly, and he's come here this morning and not picked up the bridle.
"These older horses can sometimes throw a bit of a googly at you. We'll go home, check it all out and make sure he's A-okay. We won't run him unless he sparkles between now and the Coral Gold Cup. We've got nothing to gain so we'll just wait for him to tell us when he's right, which he will. He's a wonderful horse who has given us some fantastic days."
