Twig bags Becher crown in Aintree thriller

Twig battled 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 the horse’s owner Georgia, and started an 18-1 chance for the three-mile two-furlong handicap in a field of 13.

The bay kept out of trouble as Mahon’s Glory swept into a wide-margin lead but as the race progressed, stamina came to the fore and it was Twig who had it in ready supply to see off Mr Vango and claim success by just a short head in thrilling duel.

After a photo finish and a tense wait following a stewards’ inquiry, the winning rider said: “That was a nerve-racking 20 minutes. My head was down and I didn’t have a clue. I just sat there with my fingers crossed hoping for the best.

“Normally those photo finishes don’t come in for me but, thank God, the one time it mattered, it did.

“Every time this horse wins there is always a stewards’ inquiry. He is one of those horses that if you hit the front too soon, he will slam on the brakes.

“We chased down the horse that had a nice lead and we probably got there a bit too soon, but it worked out well for us.

“We were always waiting for that horse to come upsides us and give us a bit of challenge up the run-in. He dug deep today and I owe everything to him.

“The tempo of the race didn’t really help my lad and the ground was probably not ideal for him. He didn’t travel as good as he normally does, but it worked out brilliantly.”

Pauling, who was celebrating his second success on the day, added: “He has been an absolute hero of a horse for Beau and the Morgans as well.

“He has run a blinder and Beau has given him a lovely ride. He has jumped for fun and got lonely in front.

“He was a horse that literally couldn’t get out of his own way for some lovely owners of mine called the Strangmans. He ran in two races and just got lapped.

“We said we haven’t got that much time, or money to throw at it, and I said Beau Morgan is about to start point-to-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 going forward.

“It is a huge relief and I’m just thrilled for Beau and the horse. It was a very close run and Sara’s (Bradstock) horse (Mr Vango) has run phenomenally well, but we are relieved.”

Pauling’s other winner was Taurus Bay, who showed plenty of heart as he outbattled 4-6 favourite Captain Hugo in the Daily Bet Boosts At William Hill Novices’ Hurdle.

The four-year-old was bought for £155,000 back in February after winning on his point-to-point debut and he wasted little time in getting off the mark for his new team when winning at Stratford in October.

Sent off a 15-8 chance in the hands of Ben Jones in this three-runner affair, Taurus Bay kept finding for pressure and eventually came home four and a quarter lengths clear of Captain Hugo, earning a 25-1 quote from Coral for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Pauling said: “He is very good indeed. He jumped better than he did at Stratford and he was clever when he needed to be. He put it to bed nicely after the last and he did everything right there today.

“They didn’t go very quick and our lad will stay very well so Ben wasn’t going to challenge very early, but he said they had gone a sedate gallop so he thought he would put the pressure on early.

“I was more impressed how he jumped the last and took off as I didn’t have this horse down as an out and out two-miler.

“He is probably doing it because he is good rather than a speed machine. There is lots to look forward to.”