NAP of the Day: Awaythelad to continue hot streak for Pauling

There are four Monday meetings across the UK and Ireland this week, with jumps action leading the way. National Hunt cards are from Leopardstown, Newcastle and Southwell in the afternoon, before attention switches to the all-weather at Wolverhampton for a busy nine-race evening card. 

Monday's NAP is representing the red-hot alliance of Ben Pauling and Ben Jones, going for a first win over fences.

Horse Racing Odds

Few partnerships in jumps racing can claim to have enjoyed a richer vein of form than Ben Pauling and Ben Jones are going through currently. 

Pauling sent out 46 runners from his base in Naunton during the month of February and returned 15 winners along with a further 10 placed runners, seeing him operate at 32 per cent. 

That strike-rate rises to 40 per cent in the last fortnight, with 10 winners from 25 starters. 

Jones' impressive win rate is even more striking, with 13 from 26 in the preceding fortnight, keeping him at a remarkable 50 per cent. 

They join forces in the opening Grace And Dotty Fedora's And Feathers Handicap Chase at Southwell over an extended three miles with AWAYTHELAD. 

The Getaway gelding won twice last season over hurdles for this trainer, scoring at Ludlow and Leicester (2m4½f/2m5f) in the month of January. 

He was a solid third at Lingfield (2m4f, good) on his chasing bow in November after a break and has run well in two of three starts since. 

The latest of those yielded a runner-up finish at Doncaster (2m3f, good to soft) in January behind Salt Rock. He was sporting first-time blinkers that afternoon and that headgear is retained here. 

That Town Moor contest has already produced a couple of next-time-out winners in Yealand and One More Stroke. 

A 1lb nudge in the rating is far from prohibitive for Awaythelad in his quest to go a spot better. 

He steps up to this new trip for the first time, but that hurdles win at Ludlow last year over 2m5f was the longest trip he previously tackled and he came clear to in good style, giving hope to the idea he will be well suited by this further tax on his stamina. 

Last-time-out course and distance scorer Finn Lough is a primary threat, but he's been put up 5lb for that win four weeks ago and needs further improvement if he's going to defy this career-high mark.