Meeting - The Open -
Friday, Saturday & Sunday November 16, 17 & 18
First race - 1.10pm Friday
& Sunday, 12.55pm Saturday - gates open 10am Friday & Saturday, 11.00am
Sunday
Trainer Nigel
Twiston-Davies is targeting more Grade Two glory with The New One after
his impressive performance at The Showcase on October 19. The local handler is
eyeing the £25,000 Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle on
Sunday, November 18, the third and final day of The Open at Cheltenham.
The New One landed the
Grade Two John Smith's Champion Bumper at Aintree in April and returned this
season with a 26-length demolition of his rivals on his hurdling debut at
Newton Abbot on October 1.
On his latest start the
four-year-old justified favouritism with a taking display in the opening race
of The Showcase, the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, scoring by
two and three-quarter lengths from the highly-regarded Village Vic, with a
further 21 lengths back to the third.
Twiston-Davies said:
"The Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle is certainly a race we
are looking at for The New One. He has come out of his race on Friday
brilliantly - he is very laid back and you wouldn't know he's had a race.
"I thought his
performance at Cheltenham was very good. He was on the bridle coming to the
last and just had to be shaken up on the run in and he went away well.
"He has all the right
attributes and he travels well. His jumping wasn't too bad as he was quite
quick over his hurdles. He wasn't spectacular, which we would like, but it was
a very good performance overall.
"I think the form is
very solid as the first two were miles clear of the rest.
"I think one day he
will get three miles as he is stoutly bred but I think for the moment we will
stick to two and a half. He won on very soft ground at Newton Abbot - I know it
wasn't much of a race - but at the moment we are not worried about the ground."
The Grade Two contest at
The Open is the second race in the "Road To Cheltenham" series which
culminates with the Grade One Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle
over two miles and five furlongs staged on Ladies Day at The Festival on Wednesday,
March 13.
A further four races,
including two at Warwick and Sandown, complete Neptune Investment Management's
sponsorship.
The Open kicks off with
Countryside Day on Friday, November 16, which features a six-race card
headlined by the £45,000 Paddypower.com Handicap Chase over two miles. There is
also the £25,000 Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase and the £25,000 Grade
Two Opus Energy Novices' Hurdle over an extended two miles.
The £160,000 Grade Three
Paddy Power Gold Cup is the highlight of The Open on Saturday, November 17, and
has been won by some of Jump racing's biggest names since it's inception in
1960. In 2008 the extended two and a half mile handicap chase was won by Imperial
Commander, also trained by Twiston-Davies, who went on to capture the Betfred
Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2010.
A terrific card on
Saturday also features the £50,000 Grade Three Rewards4Racing Handicap Chase
over just short of three and a half miles and the £25,000 Grade Two JCB Triumph
Hurdle Trial over an extended two miles.
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