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Old favourite The New One looks worth a bet |
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Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is one
of the more likeable characters in the racing game and after thinking of
turning in his licence after enduring a barren spell more than a decade ago he
is firmly established as one of the very best trainers in the business with the
ability to take a horse right to the very top of the tree if the ability is
there.
Twiston-Davies oldest son Sam is already firmly
established as one of the best young riders in the business and will be
attached to the stable of champion trainer Paul Nicholls, but will still be
available to take plenty of rides for his dad, including The New One, already
one of the more persistent
Cheltenham Festival tips and a horse who looks well up to the task of
winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle.
Currently available at around 5/1 in
the ante-post market for the top two-mile hurdles race of the season (alongside
Willie Mullins terrifically talented ex-novice Faugheen), The New One
looked unlucky not to win last seasons Champion Hurdle when things did
not go his way but he still ran well to be third. In what was a tremendous
renewal of the big race that included the dual winner Hurricane Fly, Nicky
Hendersons classy My Tent or Yours, and the eventual surprise winner
Jezki, (trained by Jessica Harrington), The New One appeared to have lost all
realistic chance as early as the third flight when badly hampered by the fall
of Our Conor.
Young Twiston-Davies didnt panic though and despite
losing valuable ground to top quality opposition managed to work his mount back
into the contest and came there to hold a chance going over the second from
home. His ability to stay much further than the bare two miles definitely
helped the gelded son of Kings Theatre to stay on soundly up the
Cheltenham hill, but he was unable to produce his usual turn of foot and had to
settle for an honourable third.
With Nigel Twiston-Davies sure to have
made meticulous plans to produce his potential champion at the peak of his
powers at the big meeting in March, The New One seem sure to give those who
have followed the Cheltenham Festival tips and supported him in the ante-post
market, every hope of collecting cometh the hour.
Un De Sceaux, winner
of all nine of his career starts, is reportedly a horse who excites even
champion Irish jumps trainer Willie Mullins who has an embarrassment of riches
housed under the roof of his stables in County Carlow. Quite which race the
French-bred gelding will target at Cheltenham in March is hard to say at this
stage as he has already proved himself versatile with regard to trip, winning
at both two and two-and-a-half miles, and ending last term with two victories
at the latter trip in graded company at Auteuil in France.
It is also
unclear at this stage whether he will remain over hurdles and possible tackle
the Champion Hurdle (for which he is currently offered at 14/1), or step up to
three miles for the
World
Hurdle, for which he can be backed at 12/1. Alternatively the six-year-old
could well switch to the larger obstacles and go novice chasing. If it is the
latter option, as many people suspect, then Un De Sceaux, one of the most
persistently popular and likely Cheltenham Festival tips this term, could be of
great interest and is currently the ante-post market leader for the two-mile
novice chase crown at 7/1.
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