Ben Pauling waxed lyrical about Tellherthena who he says got his career back on track in effortless fashion in the Arkle Finance EBF National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon on January 12. 

After opening his account for the season over course and distance in November, the five-year-old then failed to fire upped to Grade One company on Boxing Day when pulling up in the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree. 

However, the Malinas gelding left that effort behind on his return to the Cambridgeshire track when securing a 14-length success in the two-mile prize, which was the first leg of a double for winning rider Kielan Woods, who also steered the Sarah Humphrey-trained Jacks Touch (11-4) to glory by seven and a half lengths in the concluding Weatherbys Hamilton Mares’ Handicap Chase. 

Pauling said of the successful 1-4 Favourite: “We turned a lot of stones to try and find out what happened at Aintree. We found a few little bits and bobs, but nothing that put us out for that long as you could see.

“That now gives him his fourth run so he has got the option of the Betfair Hurdle (at Newbury), but the ground would have to be spot on for that otherwise we will go straight to the Supreme (Novices’ Hurdle, at the Cheltenham Festival in March) with him.

“I think he is a class horse with gears galore and I sometimes think they are best fresh.”

Mixedwave might have had his victory at Market Rasen earlier in the season stripped from him after rider Alex Edwards broke the new whip rules, however he was not to be denied in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Handicap Chase, which the Pam Sly-trained 5-2 Favourite claimed by three lengths. 

Thorney based Sly said: “He has gradually improved, but it has been a slow process as he is such a big horse so it has taken a bit of time.

“I was just hoping he was going to go in this ground today as it is a bit tacky. Paul (O’Brien, jockey) said last night that he should win this race and he was right."