Mai gives Twiston shout
CONNECTIONS of BRISTOL DE MAI (haydock, 2.40) will be desperate for today’s valuable haydock card to pass an early morning inspection, as their stalwart looks to have bright prospects of yet another course win in the Peter Marsh handicap Chase.
Successful in the 2017 renewal of this afternoon’s feature, the popular grey has found Grade one company a little too hot to handle of late, as evidenced by his 21-length defeat at the hands of Protektorat in the Betfair Chase prior to Christmas.
however, he was far from disgraced in that event on his favoured stomping ground, especially as his conqueror is now priced in single figures for the Gold Cup in March and Bristol
De Mai was on the cusp of turning 12 years old.
A return to handicap company appears a much fairer assignment these days for the veteran, and his mark of 154 is identical to the rating he was successful off in this event all those years ago. Dominating small fields on deep ground has always been Bristol De Mai’s forte, as a record of seven wins from 19 starts in races of six runners or less suggests. Should the meeting receive the green light, the selection, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies (below), is also likely to relish the conditions he may encounter — he has a haydock record of four wins from as many runs on heavy ground. Venetia Williams has landed the last two runnings of the Peter Marsh and the herefordshire handler relies on Fontaine Collonges, winner of a course and distance handicap on the same day Bristol De Mai was contesting the Betfair Chase. Fontaine Collonges enjoys a weight concession from Bristol De Mai, but his time in winning on his latest start was 13 seconds slower (or approximately 65 lengths) than Protektorat recorded in victory so even with a 21-length losing margin, Bristol De Mai achieved much more on the clock than his primary rival.
of course, things are rarely as simple as that rather rudimentary equation, but if Bristol De Mai can repeat that level then he ought to be capable of rolling back the years.
Twiston-Davies farmed the Unibet hurdle for a number of seasons with The New one and it is nice that the sponsors have acknowledged the achievements today by naming the race after the popular hurdler.
I Like To Move It bids to follow in the hoofprints of his illustrious predecessor and should appreciate the drop back to two miles and forcing tactics.
however, the talented EPATANTE (haydock, 2.05) stands in the way of another Twiston-Davies win and she should prove tough to beat, having faced the mighty Constitution hill on her last two starts.