Thursday 26 February 2015 14:50, UK
Nigel Twiston-Davies talks Will Hayler through his Cheltenham Festival squad, including The New One and Splash Of Ginge.
The New One
The New One is 100 per cent. He's really good at the moment. It's a bit nerve-wracking when you've got one week and five days left but you always hope everything goes smoothly and at the moment it is. I don't think Haydock last time was too bad. It was terrible ground and he was following a horse that was jumping to the right, but when he asked him to quicken he was hating every minute and it took a bit of time but when he did pick up away he went. I think Ruby Walsh has it right. I was listening to him on one of those Cheltenham forums the other night and he said no horse could look good in that kind of ground. It wasn’t soft, it was the Somme. A bit has been made of his jumping but at Haydock he was just following a horse who was a bit wayward. He's made three significant mistakes in his career, one was at Kempton when he was beaten by My Tent Or Yours last season, but he's jumped well all his life. He drifted a bit on Betfair, I understand, but he’s fine. Everyone was ringing me, there was nothing wrong with him that I could see.
Blaklion
He’s won over three miles. It’s what it needs. The only times he’s been beaten it’s been at muddling race speeds. He’s all fine. Who’s going to ride him will have to be discussed. If Sam can’t ride, I’d like Ryan Hatch to ride but he won’t be able to claim his 5lb, so maybe not. I don’t know.
Benbens
He’s in good form and Steven Clements is going to ride him in the Kim Muir. He got a bit stuck in the mud at Haydock last time and we keep saying there must be a big race in him somewhere. He likes Cheltenham and he’s definitely a very live hope.
Little Jon
He’s in the novice handicap chase and I think he’s quite well-in. I think he’s my other good one for the meeting. He’s been quite unlucky this season, he’s had one fall when going well and he’s crashed through the wing when going well, so he’s not unfairly handicapped. He’s my tip. Nobody knows why he crashed through the wing. Was it the car on the inside? I don’t know. What makes a big horse crash through the wing rather than jump a small fence? He’s a very good jumper. He’s very scopey, very powerful. What you’d say is that is his ability to shorten has been a question, but we’ve had Andrew Nicholson in three times, riding him, getting him shortening. We’ve taken him out schooling and I think he’s all right now.
Splash Of Ginge
He’s going back the way he likes to go (left-handed). He’s been running superbly at Cheltenham. I think he’s got a huge chance in the JLT.
Ballybolley
We’ll have to see if he gets into anything. He’s been dropped a couple of pounds for his run in the Betfair Hurdle, when he was hampered, and that’s not going to help him. Usually we trainers want to see the handicapper drop our horses, but it doesn’t help at Cheltenham!
Double Ross
He’s been a bit forgotten in the Ryanair. He ran superbly at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall. He’s been under the weather a bit since, but he’s well again now. He has been a bit delicate this year, but if he’s right he’ll be there.
Sybarite
He’s improving all of the time. He does look after himself a bit. He’s had a bad heart. He’s absolutely fine now. He loves Cheltenham and he could surprise everybody in the Pertemps. He drops himself out a bit thinking that it’s going to hurt and when he discovers that it isn’t going to hurt he runs on again. He might go over fences next season but we’ll see how we get on.
Astaracad
We’re looking towards the Grand Annual. I don’t think we’ll put the visor back on as it makes him run a bit free in the early stages. At the moment, we’ll leave it off. The worry is getting him in, but the handicapper seems to think he’ll get a run. He’ll be left in both that and the longer race.
Foxbridge
Will he get in? It looks like he’s got a better chance of getting in the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap. If he doesn’t get in either, he could go to Uttoxeter for the Midlands National.
Goodbye Dancer
He’s in the Fred Winter and the Triumph. We’ve kept him fresh for this. My feeling is that he’ll go for the Fred Winter, because if he can run well in the Triumph, he should be able to win the handicap off 139.
Cogry
He’s very tough, he’ll keep galloping and we’ll have to see if he’s good enough in the four-miler. It’s quite a hot race, but Steven Clements rides and we’ll give it our best shot.
