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Ben Pauling believes Handstands ‘should be up to it’ in the Grade 2 Towton Novices’ Chase at Ffos Las on Saturday.

Handstands had been in line to run in the Hampton Court Novices' Chase at Warwick tomorrow, but with that meeting succumbing to the cold snap and the Towton Novices' Chase rearranged to be run at Ffos Las after the abandonment of it's original track Wetherby, Pauling has decided to let his highly-promising six-year-old strut his stuff at the Welsh venue instead.

The Ben Pauling-trained son of Getaway looked like an exciting prospect when landing the Listed Sidney Banks Novices' Hurdle at Huntingdon last season and he quickly proved he was capable of mixing it with the big boys over fences after putting a dominant display in the Grade 2 Esher Novices' Chase at Sandown last month.

"I think an awful lot of this horse," said Pauling on Sky Sports Racing. "I couldn't have been any happier with him at Sandown and it will be great to get him out again tomorrow.

"Obviously we carry a penalty but so does Cherie D'Am but she's a filly so does get the 7lb allowance from us. It will have to be a good performance, but I would expect him to be up to the job.

"His work has been very very good at home and his schooling has been very good. It's been a little bit of a headscratcher about who will run where. We were very keen to run Handstands in the Hampton Court (at Warwick) but we're all still wondering if it will be rescheduled and if so, where. So, the safest option was probably to get a run into him tomorrow."

His latest success at Sandown came over three miles, but Pauling is unphased by dropping back to two and a half miles for the Towton Novices' Chase. "He won over three miles last time and this is two and a half, but he won a Sidney Banks last season, he's not a slow horse by any stretch," said Pauling.

"Cherie d'Am looks the biggest danger but she's got a penalty, and I think he should be up to it."