Nigel Twiston-Davies – My Cheltenham Runners 15/03/2018

Day Two is now a distant memory as we move on at the greatest race meeting of the year, so we spoke to Nigel (who wasn’t happy to be winnerless at this stage I can assure you despite the good run of Ballyoptic in the RSA Chase in fourth) about the stable chances on Thursday afternoon, and this is what he told us.

Nigel’s Charity Bet

As always, we’ve given Nigel a £25 charity bet to place on a horse of his choice – and this afternoon it will be on……

The New One 3.30pm Cheltenham Thursday

“One day they may even write a book about this horse, he has run so many decent races both in victory and in defeat and is an absolute pleasure to train as well as a real money-spinner. Sam has been nagging me to try him over stayers’ trips for some time now and if he wins here his views will be vindicated (and I will feel pretty silly), so we shall see who is right come the end of this contest. I would have preferred better going in case he runs out of stamina but he remains in great sorts at home and if he gets home, a huge run is very much on the cards, so fingers crossed please.”

If The New One wins or places, we’ll donate the winnings to the Injured Jockeys Fund!

Thursday Runners:

Arthur’s Gift 2.10pm Cheltenham

“First reserve so not guaranteed to even get in to the race, but he hasn’t done anything wrong all season and sort of deserves his place. He handles the softer going as well as any and has been consistently thereabouts in plenty of big handicaps and has small each way chances – with a run of course.”

Wholestone 3.30pm Cheltenham

“He is a very decent horse and don’t forget he finished third to Penhill in the Albert Bartlett last season and also has a course and distance win to his name. He saves his best for Cheltenham and is no second string, I just feel that maybe The New One has more gears for now.”

Ballybolley and Splash Of Ginge 4.10pm Cheltenham

“I am not overly hopeful to be honest, but you have to be in it to win it and horses can surprise us all. Ballybolley would prefer better ground so it all depends on how much it dries out (or not) between now and race time with regard to his chances, but they predict more rain and that will not aid him at all. Splash of Ginge is a lovely horse who owes us nothing, but he seems to have gone off the boil a bit recently and needs to bounce back to have any chance in a race this competitive.”

Angels Antics 4.50pm Cheltenham

“She is a decent mare and I do like her a lot but I am also a realist, and she needs to find plenty to put in a challenge here. She will try her best as always, but I cannot suggest she is a betting proposition on the form she has gathered so far.”

Tintern Theatre, Double Ross, and Arctic Gold 5.30pm Cheltenham

“Three bullets to fire in this competitive handicap, but I’m not really sure which one will come out on top. I am a little worried that Tintern Theatre may struggle to get home on this slower surface, while Double Ross will enjoy the conditions on his last run before we have a shot at the Grand National, all of which sort of points to the chances of Arctic Gold as my number one. He likes the heavy ground and more rain may even be in his favour, he is fully expected to stay this three and a quarter miles, and has won off a pound higher and at the current prices, there are worse each way shots running on the day.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies will be back tomorrow for his views on day four at Cheltenham! To see what our tipsters are backing in all the weekend’s races, check out our free daily horse racing tips!