The Jukebox Man

The 8-year-old has won 4 of his last 6 races, and the quality of those wins tells the real story. He took a Class 2 at Haydock in November 2025, then backed it up with a Class 1 win at Kempton on Boxing Day — his second consecutive Boxing Day victory at that track, having won the same race in 2024. Trainer Ben Pauling described him after Haydock as a horse who "attacks fences — short or long, he's quick and he's in and out," adding that Kempton suited him perfectly because he had "speed, stamina and jumps for fun." That combination is rare, and the results prove it is not just a trainer talking up his horse.

There is also something quietly remarkable about his record at Ffos Las, a track in west Wales that rarely makes headlines. The Jukebox Man has raced there three times and won all three. A perfect three-from-three record at any venue is the kind of thing that makes other trainers study the form book carefully when he is declared.

Jockey Ben Jones has partnered The Jukebox Man in 6 races together and won 5 of them — that is a win rate of 83%, which by any measure is an extraordinary partnership. When the same rider and horse click like this, it usually means they understand each other's rhythm in a way that is very difficult to replicate.

Ben Pauling's yard at Naunton in Gloucestershire has sent out 89 winners this season, so this is a team operating at genuine top-end pace. Pauling has spoken openly about preparing The Jukebox Man for the Gold Cup, the biggest race in jump racing, describing him as being in "fantastic form at home" after completing his final serious piece of work. After a short break of 33 days, the question is simply whether the stage can get any bigger — and whether this horse is ready to take it.