Racing: Benbyas to blaze a trail for Booster

One of the clichés in racing is that a horse who wins from the front is doing it the hard way. Well, for some animals, that's as may be. But for one like Benbyas, it's the only way and so, for him, presumably the easy way. Trailblazing is his bag and in 21 starts over hurdles it has enabled him to rack up five wins, eight places and more than £85,000 in prize-money.

The gritty bay seven-year-old will be dishing the pace to his rivals at Newbury on Saturday in the Tote Gold Trophy, the third time he has contested the valuable handicap. His two previous attempts have yielded a third place to Copeland and Rooster Booster and, 12 months ago, fifth spot behind Spirit Leader.

"He led them down to the last then," Declan Carroll, his trainer, said yesterday. "I know not many big races are won from the front but with him there's nothing else to do. He's a good jumper and likes to have a cut and if you keep him in behind he doesn't concentrate and loses interest. He gets disappointed.

"Saturday will be very competitive and the way Benbyas runs will probably set the race up for Rooster Booster. But we're not frightened of him. We've taken him on before and although we've not beaten him I'm sure ours has improved."

Benbyas, who has had niggling physical problems, is lightly raced this term, his warm-up for Saturday's task in the mud at Uttoxeter last month being only his third outing of the season. He could hardly have been more impressive that day, jumping notably well and coming home 10 lengths clear on a tight rein under his regular pilot, the 3lb claimer Paddy Brennan.

"The handicapper put him up 11lb for that, which I thought was a bit strong, but it got him into the Newbury race, so fair enough," said Carroll. "He'll be running off the highest mark he ever has but he is in extremely good form, and Paddy knows him well.

"Another crack at this race has been one of the targets," he added. "With only a few runs we've got a fresh horse for now and for Cheltenham." Benbyas finished fourth in Rooster Booster's County Hurdle two years ago; this year he holds an entry in the Champion Hurdle itself. "If we were fortunate enough to win on Saturday," added Carroll, "We'd have to consider it."

Dublin-born Carroll, 37, is in the process of reviving his training career. After two years on the Curragh he transferred to a barn at Southwell, where he sent out 16 winners in a two-year-tenure. But he hit a rocky patch in the shape of bad-paying owners and relinquished his licence to assist Les Eyre. When that canny Yorkshireman retired to Spain two years ago, Carroll took the plunge again. "If I'd kept going I'd have got into trouble," he said. "The horses weren't much good either. But I'd always intended to start again."

Carroll, now based in one of Mel Brittain's yards at Warthill, near York, inherited from Eyre owners and horses, including Benbyas. "We've got a great bunch of owners," he said, "excellent facilities and some decent horses, including 30 for the Flat. King's Empire could be quite exciting this year as a three-year-old and we've some very nice two-year-olds."

One of the former jump jockey's claims to fame is that he gave Jamie Spencer his first winner in Britain, Sharp Scotch at Wolverhampton in 1998. He is hoping there may be another reason to remember him after Saturday. "A win in a valuable race like that would be a very nice way to kick-start the year," he said. "He'll run a big race."

* Tomorrow's Bangor card has been abandoned due to flooding.

* The Tote win dividend of £349 to a £1 stake on Miss Chinchilla (80-1 starting-price) at Ludlow yesterday is the highest in the decimal era. The record dividend is £341 to a 2s (10p) stake, equating to £3410 to £1.