Nigel Twiston-Davies’s first thought in the winner’s enclosure here after the International Hurdle on Saturday was for Ryan Hatch, the young jockey who would have ridden The New One to victory but for suffering an injury in a fall at the course on Friday. His second was of another, more fortunate twist of fate, that steered The New One away from a season over fences and towards a record-equalling third victory in this race.
“It was the best abandonment ever,” Twiston-Davies said, referring to the cancellation of the card at Exeter last month when The New One had been scheduled to make his chasing debut. The trainer was forced to put the switch to the bigger obstacles on hold and the International Hurdle then presented itself as an ideal opportunity to get The New One’s season started.
It was raining throughout the day here and, as the ground softened, support for My Tent Or Yours, the early favourite for the race, dried up. The New One, though, was confidently backed to set off as the market leader at 13-8 and Richard Johnson, who was riding the eight-year-old for the first time, set off to make all the running.
This was another departure from routine for The New One and another happy result of the frustrated plan to go over fences. Andrew Nicholson, a leading event rider, had been helping with The New One’s schooling and managed to iron out his habit of jumping to his right. The New One’s hurdling was straight and accurate and while My Tent Or Yours was travelling well enough turning in he could not make up the ground he needed and finished three-and-a-half lengths adrift.
“Andrew’s been helping us to keep him going straight,” Twiston-Davies said. “You couldn’t make the running with him before. He would have jumped to the right and he didn’t do it today.
“We’ve now got horses at home that are faster than he is, which has never happened before, but the way we rode him, out in front, that’s what he wants. He’s an extraordinary horse, he cost me 20 grand and he’s now won over three-quarters of a million.”
The New One was cut to a top-price of 25-1 for the Champion Hurdle, a race in which he finished third three years ago after being stopped in his tracks by a faller. He will be entered in both the Champion and the World Hurdle, over three miles, at the Festival in March, with a run at Haydock in January likely to decide his target.
“Why not [aim at the Champion]?” Twiston-Davies said. “He probably isn’t quite good enough now, but he certainly was three years ago when he was unlucky not to win. With different riding tactics and now he’s going straight, maybe he could do it.”
The New One’s victory completed a Grade Two double on the card for Twiston-Davies, who had earlier saddled Wholestone to take a three-mile novice hurdle, while Defi Du Seuil was an impressive winner of the opening race, a trial for the Triumph Hurdle in March.
Defi Du Seuil is now the main market rival to Joseph O’Brien’s Landofhopeandglory at the top of the market while his success came at the start of a remarkable day for JP McManus, the three-year-old’s owner.
In addition to Defi Du Seuil, McManus’s colours were carried to success at odds of 33-1 by Eastlake, while he also had a double on the card at Navan, at odds of 66-1 and 7-1. Had the legendary punter combined all four in a Yankee, he could have brought the bookmaking industry to its knees.
Frodon goes smoothly for Nicholls
Paul Nicholls took the most valuable handicap chase at the International meeting with a four-year-old for the second time in five years and then tipped a three-year-old that has just joined his yard as a possible winner of the race next season.
Frodon, who was going well in the BetVictor Gold Cup at the Open meeting before a bad mistake at the final ditch, travelled smoothly throughout the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup and then stayed on strongly for Sam Twiston‑Davies to beat Aso by a length and a half.
Nicholls’s Unioniste, in 2012, was the first four-year-old to win a race that dates back to 1963. “Unioniste was a different type altogether,” Nicholls said. “Frodon is not a big horse, but he’s tough and stays and keeps progressing.
“It’s not such a massive thing for a four-year-old to run in these races if you’ve got the right horse and he was really unlucky last time. He landed in the ditch and winded himself, up to that point he was going really well.
“I’ve got no plans for him now, but I’ve already got a three-year-old at home, called Monsieur Co, he’s already won over fences in France. He could be the one for this race next year.”
