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BIG BEN FITS KING'S BILL

ABOVE: Bensalem goes on to win

17th November 2009

By Tony Lewis

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BENSALEM took his first step towards an Arkle Chase bonus with a battling debut over fences at Plumpton yesterday.

He was always to the fore but looked in trouble when Jack Doyle brought Chariot Charger to lead two out.

However Emma Lavelle’s horse blundered at the last and Bensalem found the better turn of foot on the run-in to win
by half a length.

Skybet left him at 16-1 for the Festival, but most of Alan King’s horses have been needing a run this autumn.

It’s also wise to remember that Bensalem had finished 34 lengths in front of Sunday’s impressive Cheltenham winner Tataniano when he met his only defeat at the hands of Diamond Harry over the Prestbury track in January.

So the bonus for winning at Plumpton and Cheltenham is not a remote possibility.

“I don’t think you’ll ever see him ridden like that again,” said King.

“I was worried about the lack of pace so we rode him handy, but we will revert to dropping him in next time.

That was very satisfactory and he will come on for it as there is plenty to work on.”

King had earlier saddled classy Flat stayer The Betchworth Kid to make a winning hurdles debut under Bensalem’s
jockey “Choc” Thornton.

Runner-up King Edmund had proved proved a tough horse to pass, but King said: “The ground wasn’t ideal but he
handled it and Choc said he will be better in a bigger field.”

Over at Leicester, James Fanshawe unveiled another promising hurdler in the shape of Spring Jim.

Paul Moloney, who helped school the useful Flat handicapper, rode an ultra-confident race and only produced him to lead after the last.

Sheena West’s Screaming Brave made up for a narrow defeat on his Warwick debut by hacking up in the following juvenile hurdle.

He was ridden by assistant trainer Jamie Goldstein, who said: “If the ground had been decent at Cheltenham on Saturday, we would have gone there.

“We’ve got 20 horses in including five juvenile hurdlers. The best of them could be Reaction who loves soft ground.”