David Ord reflects on Saturday's action at Cheltenham where Nigel Twiston-Davies unearthed another "proper horse".
It isn’t supposed to be but maybe the Unibet International Hurdle was a telling trial for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle?
It was won by Guard Your Dreams, dropping back to two miles and a furlong having finished third behind Buzz over two-and-a-half at Ascot last time. He was chased home by Song For Someone, second in that Berkshire race.
The winner that day returns to the summer home of top hats and carriages for the Long Walk next weekend, trying to prove he has the stamina for three miles and emerge as a leading player for the most open of the Festival championship events.
Where Saturday’s hero will settle once all the cards are played remains to be seen. He’s upwardly mobile, tough and trained by a man who’ll run him to find out exactly what he has on his hands, though.
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This was Nigel Twiston-Davies’ fifth win in the race, three of them courtesy of the wonderful The New One.
If you’re fortunate enough to be trained at Grange Hill Farm, Naunton your road to Cheltenham won’t take in a racecourse gallop – it’s about match practice and Haydock, and their Champion Hurdle trial awaits next in January.
It’s a tried-and-trusted route for the trainer when he has a “proper horse” on his hands and he added: “He is very similar to The New One and Ballyandy as they were also big, tough triers.”
My Drogo duly registered a first win over fences in the bearrene.com Novices' Chase despite wanting to go at least half-a-stride faster than Harry Skelton wanted throughout, and leaving the ground at least half-a-stride earlier than Skelton expected him to at a couple of his fences.
The cover boy for virtually every 'horse to follow' publication this autumn, he’s a work in progress but the best of the British novice hurdlers last season might still be the best of the British novice chasers this time around.
Quite what that will mean when it comes to handing out the gongs in the spring remains to be seen. On the same afternoon, Willie Mullins ran four horses in two beginner chases at Fairyhouse and they finished first and second in both.
Blue Lord isn’t currently towards the top of the Closutton Sporting Life Arkle pecking order, but would be at virtually any other yard, while Stattler showed more speed than is usually expected of the National Hunt Chase banker. We may have a few more of those before March, though.
Mullins himself was briefly at Cheltenham this weekend, flying in on Friday night to pick up six lots at the cost of over a million guineas at the Tattersalls Sale. When he next returns to Prestbury Park it will be with loaded horseboxes for both legs of the journey and the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
Those sales showed the struggle British trainers continue to face, Gordon Elliott securing another six of the choice lots, including the 385,000 sales topper.
Owners want to be associated with success and right now the Celtic Tiger is roaring both in the sales ring and on the racecourse.
It certainly did courtesy of a Welsh cousin in the Racing Post Gold Cup.
Surely nobody could begrudge Coole Cody a third victory from ten starts at Cheltenham?
He was in front – and far from done with – when falling two out in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last month. This time it was the winner that day, Midnight Shadow, who found the penultimate fence in his way. He survived the error, but the momentum was with his Evan Williams-trained rival who was never going to be passed up the hill.
Things will get tougher from here but this isn’t a horse to shirk a Cheltenham challenge and god willing he’ll be back in the spring looking to lead them all a merry dance in the Paddy Power Plate.
Charles Byrnes reckons Blazing Khal is the best he’s trained and, having kicked the second last out the way in his own race, he ran out a ready winner. He too will be back in March – and a big player for the Albert Bartlett proper.
It was a day for big, tough triers at Cheltenham. But then again isn’t it always?