In-Form Sam Twiston-Davies Bids For 4,157/1 Huntingdon Four-Timer

Fresh from riding a 39.5/1 double at Ascot on Saturday – which included the Grade 1 victory of Riders Onthe Storm – Sam Twiston-Davies travels to Huntingdon on Thursday for a book of rides.

Sam has been profitable to follow when travelling to the Cambridgeshire venue in the last five seasons, with his strike-rate on chasers currently at a healthy 20%.

Below, Joe Eccles has delved deeper into the chances of his four mounts on Thursday, assessing the chances of Sam Twiston-Davies riding a 4157/1 four-timer – read his thoughts below.

For all of the remaining racing action at Thurles, Sedgefield, Southwell and Chelmsford, check out our free horse racing tips.

Nothing Man – 2.41 Huntingdon

Sam Twiston-Davies’s first ride at Huntingdon is Nothing Man in the Betway Handicap Hurdle.

The David Dennis-trained six-year-old was sent off the 7/2 favourite for his handicap debut at Bangor in December, but he could only finish a distant seventh.

He was once again held at Warwick latest, but remains fairly unexposed compared to most of these rivals and would have finished closer at Warwick latest but for making a mess of the final flight, so is not one to completely give up on.

Bit On The Side – 3.11 Huntingdon

Sam’s second ride on Huntingdon’s card is Bit On The Side in the Betway Mares’ Maiden Hurdle.

Deemed good enough to contest two Listed bumpers earlier this season, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ mare made a promising debut over hurdles when fifth at Ascot last month.

This represents a drop-in class from that contest, and she is likely to have learnt plenty for the initial experience.

Her main opposition is likely to come from the Warren Greatrex-trained Miss Honey Ryder – a half-sister to Western Ryder.

Donatello Mail – 3.41 Huntingdon

The feature race on Huntingdon’s card is the Betway Handicap Chase, in which Sam Twiston-Davies rides the seven-year-old Donatello Mail.

He has gone close in both of his chase starts to date, finishing second at Leicester just last week.

Arriving here four pounds well in on his revised mark, with ground conditions to suit, another big performance looks firmly in the offing.

The Newest One – 4.11 Huntingdon

One horse that catapulted Sam Twiston-Davies into the mainstream was The New One – an incredible winner of twenty of his forty starts under rules, including the 2014 Aintree Hurdle.

Closely related to The New One is The Newest One, who makes his handicap debut in the Heed Your Hunch At Betway Handicap Hurdle.

The five-year-old disappointed at Sandown last time out, but the bottomless ground was likely to blame for that performance, and he had finished a close third behind two rivals now both rated 126 on his start prior.

That piece of form suggests that he could be well-treated here off an opening mark of 117.