By Peter Moore at Royal Windsor Friday 16th January 2025
Sam Twiston-Davies will join forces once again with Paul Nicholls and celebrated his news with a double at Royal Windsor on the opening day of the Berkshire Winter Million.
The Ditcheat handler revealed on Friday that he plans to use the 33-year-old, who served as stable jockey from 2014 to 2017, on a more frequent basis next season following the news that Harry Cobden is to become JP McManus’s retained rider next term.
It was a good day for the Twiston- Davies family who sent out Guard The Moon and Potters Charm to claim Class 3 and Class 2 victories.
Joint-trainer Willy Twiston-Davies believes Potters Charm’s best days are ahead of him, and Aintree in the spring could beckon after he bounced back to his best to strike in the 2m4f hurdle.
The seven-year-old appreciated the step back in trip following his Long Walk Hurdle fourth as he returned to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since a Grade 2 success at Cheltenham just under a year ago.
However, a crack at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is looking unlikely according to Twiston-Davies, who is eyeing up the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle in April.
He said: “He showed speed and sprinted away from Nemean Lion. I think we’ll look more at the Aintree Hurdle if anything. We might go for the National Spirit [Fontwell, February 22] and then on to Aintree.
“We’ll have a look at the Stayers’ Hurdle, but I don’t know. He’s won a Grade 2 over two miles, and he’s won over two and a half miles at Cheltenham. He looked like the winner turning in at Ascot but didn’t get home, so three miles at Cheltenham might not be the right thing to do.”
Potters Charm will switch to fences next season, and Twiston-Davies is excited for his potential in that field.
He added: “That’s the best he’s jumped and he seems to be coming on with every race. He’s a very talented horse and next year we’ll see the best of him.”
No Questions Asked under Ben Jones beat odds-on favourite Be Aware by a length to win the Grade 2 Lightning Novices’ Chase for trainer Ben Pauling.
It was a second win of the campaign for the eight-year-old, who had to dig deep to get the better of Altobelli.
Pauling said: “He might not end up going to Cheltenham and could end up at Aintree over two and a half miles.”
No Questions Asked took full advantage of Be Aware’s inconsistent jumping, and Pauling added: “He had to show a lot of guts, but there’s loads of improvement to come and I’m delighted to have won a nice prize. He’s a nice horse and he’ll stay.”
Jones brought up a quick fire double after steering Bluey to win the 2m 4f mares handicap chase for trainer Emma Lavell, with her brother Jonathan part owning the mare.
Moneygarrow secured a second successive victory to land the 3m novice hurdle for team Skelton.
Going up in trip, the six-year-old put in a big leap at the final flight to score by three quarters of a length from They Call Me Hugo.
In the absence of Dan Skelton, who was in Barbados, Assistant trainer Tom Messenger said: “He’s had a busy season and the Albert Bartlett is a tough race, but he’s the type who would go well round there because he’s relaxed. The other option would be Aintree, but I think he’d handle Cheltenham.
“It’s definitely worth considering, and the conversation will have to become serious. If he’s going to go to the festival you’ve got to train him for it from tomorrow.”
Lambourn trainer Tom Dascombe landed his biggest prize in almost five years when Hot Fuss struck in the 2m handicap hurdle.
Fourth in last season’s Fred Winter, Dascombe said of Hot Fuss: “He’s as gutsy as you’ll ever see, and I wish I could find more horses who want to do it like him. I think he’ll end up back at Cheltenham because his owners want to go there.”