William Hill Half A Mill Becher Handicap Chase
Grade 3 Handicap,
National Course, Aintree 14:40
£150,000 guaranteed, 6yo plus,
3m 1f 188y, Class 1   entries
Saturday 6th December 2025

BetPlay

1 Twig 18/1
2 Mr Vango 9/2F
3 Val Dancer 12/1
13 ran Distances: shd, 3¾l, nk
Time: 6m 53.90s (slow by 11.90s)

Twig dug deep and found just enough in reserve to secure a gritty success for Ben Pauling, the sort of finish that gets the heart thumping and the judge squinting. Under Beau Morgan, riding for his mother Georgia, the 10-year-old went off at 18-1 in a field of 13 for the three-mile-two-furlong test and, while others threw caution to the wind, Twig’s route was one of patience and positioning.

Mahon’s Glory tore away with a bold lead early on, stretching the field and daring the rest to reel him in. But as the race unfolded and the long Aintree run began to bite, Twig stayed within himself. The gaps appeared, others faltered, and it was Twig who rolled up his sleeves and set about the leader. Mr Vango pushed him every yard in a pulsating duel, the pair locked together to the line, Twig edging it by the narrowest of margins after a photo – a result that kept connections sweating through a stewards’ inquiry for good measure.

When the verdict finally landed in his favour, Beau Morgan could barely hide the relief.

“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.”

For Pauling, this was win number two on the afternoon and one that clearly meant plenty.

“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.”

Becher Handicap Chase
(Grade 3) (National Course)
£150,000 guaranteed, 6yo plus, 3m 1f 188y, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1     Twig 10 11-5 Ben Pauling Beau Morgan 18/1
2 shd Mr Vango 9 12-0 Mrs Sara V Bradstock Jack Tudor 9/2F
3 3¾ Val Dancer 8 10-6 Mel Rowley Charlie Hammond 12/1
4 nk Galia Des Liteaux 9 10-10 Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell 9/1
5 1¼ Mahons Glory 9 10-10 Dylan Cunha Lee Edwards 12/1
6 1 Bill Baxter 9 11-1 Warren Greatrex Sam Twiston-Davies 9/1
7 11 Westerninthepark 7 10-6 Olly Murphy Brian Hughes 13/2
8 6½ Bioluminescence 7 11-9 Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue 17/2
9 32 White Rhino 9 10-13 Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Craig Nichol 18/1
10 17 Excello 6 10-9 Nicky Henderson James Bowen 5/1
PU Roi Mage 13 11-0 Patrick Griffin James Reveley 28/1
PU Monbeg Genius 9 11-6 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr 16/1
PU Gaboriot 9 10-2 Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Robert Dunne 15/2

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