A NEW TWIST IN THE TALE
Racing’s Mr Nice Guy back with Nicholls for star ‘spare’
SAM TWISTON-DAVIES has two words for those who say he’s too nice to thrive in the bearpit of modern sport.
And neither of them is “off”. “Dicky Johnson,” fires back the 27-year-old carrot top as if by return of serve. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met and he’s been champion jockey for the last three years.”
But if Johnson is living proof that a flint edge is not a pre-requisite for sporting glory, so is Twiston-Davies.
On Thursday, the jockey takes the mount on title-holder Clan Des Obeaux in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
“He’s an incredibly good horse,” enthuses Twiston-Davies. “His form is there in the book for all to see.The one thing about the King George is that the pace never drops and it shows how classy Clan Des Obeaux is that he won as he did.
“He’s one of the biggest spares of the year so far.”
A “spare” because Harry Cobden, stable jockey to Paul Nicholls (right), has opted to partner market leader Cyrname in the Christmas showpiece.
Twiston-Davies spent four years in the main role at Nicholls’ Ditcheat stable in Somerset until choosing in May 2018 to pursue a freelance career.
The split came as a surprise to few – Nicholls’ unrelenting drive and the jockey’s easy air certainly made for a contrast of styles. But those who saw it as career suicide on Twiston-Davies’s part were mistaken. He sits third behind Johnson and Brian Hughes in the riders’ table with 80 winners.
The majority of those victories have come for his father and mentor, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Nigel, and Dr Richard Newland, whose Worcestershire stable has thrived since Pineau De Re triumphed at Aintree in April 2014.
“The relationship we all have together works well,” he explains. “When I left Paul’s, I probably wasn’t riding the best I could because I was worrying about what other people were thinking about me.
“I went back home and I remembered the reason we do this – we love going racing and we love the horses. I’m probably riding better now. I’m relaxed, and confident.”
And happier? “Massively”. Nicholls evidently agrees, having turned to Twiston-Davies, a jockey even his own father jokingly threatened to sack for being “too nice”. “What’s great is that Paul still has faith in me and no fear of putting my name forward to owners,” he adds. “And Clan Des Obeaux is a very exciting ride.”