Twister’s dreaming of a £1m windfall

WELSH trainer Nigel TwistonDavies was dreaming of a £1 million bonus after Bristol De Mai’s stunning win in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

The six-year-old claimed his third victory at the Merseyside venue with a remorseless front-running display, coming home 57 lengths clear of three-time Betfair Chase hero Cue Card.

He is now in contention for the Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown and a potential £1 million bonus, the King George VI Chase at Kempton the next port of call.

The victory capped a tremendous couple of days for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, with Delire D’Estruval also winning at Haydock and Kildisart and Top Notch scoring at Ascot on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Anthony Bromley, racing manager for the pair, said: “It was great. I got the owners over as it was the plan from some way out to have runners on those two days and it’s brilliant when it all comes together.

“Bristol De Mai is in great form out in the paddock, which is great to see. There will be horses who ran in that ground at Haydock that won’t be moving so well.

“He had an interrupted preparation for the Gold Cup last season, so to see him come out of the race so well is a very good sign.”

He will face a different test in the Boxing Day feature, going the other way round on what will likely be a sounder surface, but Bromley is confident he can prove he is not just a Haydock specialist.

He added: “If the horse is in good form and sound then he’ll go for the King George.

“Plenty of people will have an opinion about it, but we feel the horse is stronger and moving better this season and Nigel doesn’t feel the ground is a major factor.

“He obviously handles heavy ground well, but it’s now up to him to prove he can do it on better ground away from Haydock.”