ALTIOR 2-5 FOR CHAMPION RUN
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 popular jockey takes the mount on titleholder 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 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, has opted to partner market leader Cyrname in the Christmas showpiece.
Twiston-Davies spent four years in the 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 Twiston-Davies’ easy air made for a contrast of styles.
But those who saw it as career suicide on the jockey’s part were mistaken. He sits third behind Johnson and Brian Hughes in the riders’ table with 80 winners.
ALTIOR is 2-5 with Coral to run in the Queen Mother Champion Chase — in preference to the Ryanair Chase and Gold Cup — at Cheltenham in March.
The plan to move Nicky Henderson’s star two-miler up in distance this season saw the nine-year-old suffer a first defeat over obstacles when beaten by Paul Nicholl’s Cyrname in Ascot’s 1965 Chase over two miles and five furlongs last month.
Altior (left) will revert to the minimum trip in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton next Friday, in preference to the three-mile King George VI Chase the previous
Most of those victories have come for his father and mentor, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Nigel, and Dr Richard Newland. “The relationship we all have together works well,” he explains. “We juggle it all and it all works together.
“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 TwistonDavies, a jockey even his own father jokingly threatened to sack for being “too nice”.
“What’s great is that Paul still has the faith and has absolutely no fear of putting my name forward to owners,” he adds. afternoon. And Coral’s David Stevens said yesterday: “We reckon Altior is most likely to bid for a hat-trick of wins in the Champion Chase.
“His four Cheltenham Festival wins have come over two miles and we go 5-2 that he will take in the Ryanair Chase and 12-1 he will bid for the Gold Cup.”
Champion Chase sponsor Betway make Altior the 11-4 favourite to win the two-mile championship for the third successive time.
■ OFFICIALS at Chepstow are confident the Coral Welsh National, postponed three times in the past seven years, will go ahead as scheduled next Friday.
Sam Twiston-Davies will be back on last year’s winner Clan Des Obeaux (left) on Thursday