Twiston-Davies has One to watch (From Evesham Journal)

Twiston-Davies has One to watch

7:00pm Saturday 19th January 2013 in Sport

THE New One has emerged as a favourite for Cotswold trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies at March’s Cheltenham Festival.

Despite being sidelined for three months, the 1-2 hot-shot romped home by 16 lengths in the Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick.

The five-year-old was one of last season’s leading bumper horses and failed to win just once, finishing sixth at last year’s Festival.

But the bay gelding, impressive on his first two starts over hurdles in October, is now favourite with some bookmakers for the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at the 2013 extravaganza.

He should return to Cheltenham on Saturday, January 26, for trials day before another crack at the Festival.

Twiston-Davies said: “He won but we still don’t know enough about him and that encourages me to look at the programme book and find another two-anda- half-miler for him in order to give him some more experience.”

Twiston-Davies’ jockey son Sam, who partnered The New One to victory on Saturday, declared of the five-year-old bay gelding: “The sky is the limit.”

They enjoyed a double success at Warwick with Pure Science (5-1) being a nine-length winner.

The trainer is eyeing a tilt at Cheltenham Festival’s Champion Bumper with the five-yearold bred to be a classy Flat horse. Carrying the colours of Raymond Mould, the chestnut made an impressive start under National Hunt rules.

Twiston-Davies, 55, plans to give him another run to determine whether he is up to the Cheltenham challenge.

He said: “He was very good.

I’m not sure what we beat but he couldn’t have done it any easier.

“You are always hopeful but he’d not been a sparkling workhorse at home.”

Meanwhile, Twiston-Davies’ 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander sparkled in a two-mile work-out at Warwick.

The yard are looking forward to his first appearance of the season in the Argento Chase at Cheltenham on January 26.