Coach the one to catch at Ayr
He might well have won over two miles at Chepstow on his chasing bow but for unseating his rider four out when going well.
Pipped at the post by Island Of Memories over two miles at Uttoxeter next time, he went one better with a comfortable win over the same trip at Lingfield on his third start over fences.
Venetia Williams’ charge is up in class and also carries 7lb more in the weights for the Tom And Julie Married In The Morning Novices’ Chase.
He is a progressive young chaser, however, and the fact Williams sends him up from Herefordshire for this race looks a tip in itself.
Sir Mark Prescott continues to turn out his share of two-year-old winners – as he demonstrated recently with a couple of first time out scorers.
Spring Glory was not one of the them – the Dr Fong filly looking a more typical Prescott youngster – and came to the course with the rough edges still to be knocked off.
The half-sister to a string of winners – including Lyrical Bid and Bi Polar - looked very green on her debut over a mile at Lingfield earlier this month.
Slowly away, she looked to be struggling until the penny dropped before running on determinedly over the final furlong to finish fifth behind Les Fazzani.
Her effort that day must have impressed connections as she turns out for her second race in a higher grade.
The decision to enter her in the Go Pontin’s Maiden Stakes over the same track and trip looks a big vote of confidence.
There have been few more consistent horses in training in the last 12 months than Beneking but getting his head in front has been a real problem.
A modest sort over the years, the six-year-old seemed to benefit almost immediately for the switch to Dai Burchell’s yard last autumn.
He scored over seven furlongs at Lingfield in a banded race on his second start for his new connections – ending a 36-run drought – and finished the year with two close seconds.
When he kicked off this year’s campaign with another banded win things were looking up but he has hitherto failed to follow up.
Beneking hardly runs a bad race, however, and nine subsequent outings have brought five places – while he has never been out of the first five.
Given a summer break following two outings on turf, he returned to finish second this month to Scutch Mill over a mile at Kempton.
Back over a more suitable seven furlongs in the second division of the Pontin’s Family Holidays Handicap at Lingfield, he is taken to end the year how he started it.
