A Grand Slam Hero for Nigel Twiston-Davies
Jump racing may still be in the middle of its provincial tour, before it takes centre stage for the Open meeting at Cheltenham in November, but all seasons come the same for Nigel Twiston-Davies.
In March he savoured the supreme moment of his training career when Imperial Commander won the Cheltenham Gold Cup but, while his stable star is some way off his first run of the season, the trainer is still keeping busy.
Grand Slam Hero, who has been one of the leading summer runners for the yard, made it three wins from as many starts in the campaign with a battling victory in the valuable totesport.com Summer Plate Handicap Chase.
Having lost his stable jockey, Paddy Brennan, because of injury and with his son, Sam, currently suspended, Twiston-Davies turned to Graham Lee, who did not let the trainer down. There were still five left in with a chance coming to the second-last. Pablo Du Charmil and Putney Bridge had led for much of the final circuit and Lee waited to his make his challenge jumping the final fence, driving the winner a length-and-a-quarter clear from Putney Bridge, with King Troy in third and Silverburn back in fourth.
In Melbourne they may be waiting until January 26th, but it came early for Denis O’Regan in the totescoop6 Summer Hurdle Handicap. In April O’Regan, who has shown himself to be a talented rider, found himself unceremoniously dumped as the retained jockey for owner Graham Wylie, who has his horses trained by Howard Johnson.
Since then the Irishman has got down to the job of maintaining his name near the top of the list of jockeys who trainers are looking for with available rides and did his chances no harm with an astute front-running ride on Australia Day for Paul Webber although, as the jockey himself pointed about, it was mostly about being on the by far the best horse in the race.
Australia Day had won only once in seven attempts over hurdles but had shown a very good level of form on the Flat and he was never in danger this time. He led from the start and had most of the field on the stretch from halfway. The only one who could keep up the gallop was Conquisto, and he paid the price in the home straight, as Gloucester eventually came second, but beaten 19 lengths with everything else in a different county.
“It really felt a decent race,” O’Regan. “We went a real good gallop and you wouldn’t walk away and say it was an average race. The way he felt today you’d imagine he was a very good horse. It’s just a pity he can’t get his ground in the winter. He needs really top of the ground. His Flat for proves that and he got really good ground today; that’s obviously gets the best out of him.
“Paul said to me that ‘I know you’ll think you’re going too fast early but he will settle’. He’s always eventually settled in a race and he hacked up really. It was a good performance. I didn’t do anything – just win.”
“I was very grateful for the ride and he’s definitely a class horse. He could probably take on some of the best over hurdles in the winter if the ground was ever good or even quick.”
O’Regan is trying to make up the ground that he has lost with the split from the owner who brought him over from Ireland three years before. “I’m just chipping away and very grateful for every ride I get,” he said.” I’m working hard, I’ve ridden some good horses in the past and hope to get on some good ones again.”
http://www.senore.com/Campanologist-rings-the-changes-for-Frankie-Dettori-a17219
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