Sam Twiston-Davies’ William Hill Blog: Cheltenham is natural next step for Potters Charm

William Hill ambassador Sam Twiston-Davies previews his rides on all three days of the Cheltenham November meeting.

It’s fantastic to be back at Cheltenham, especially for the November meeting, which is always one to look forward to. The only slight concern is the recent lack of rain, but with Jon Pullin as Clerk of the Course, I’m confident they’ve done everything possible to ensure the track is in excellent condition.

We’re making sure to arrive early and walk the course before racing to double-check the ground is suitable for our runners, so hopefully we can get as many as we can on track. Cheltenham do a great job with preparations and I’m excited for what always promises to be a wonderful weekend of racing.

Cheltenham, Friday

Potters Charm (3.30pm) features in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, in what looks to be a very competitive race. The Skeltons’ horse, Valgrand, is also in the field having looked very impressive last time out when winning here at the Showcase meeting but has gone up in the handicap quite a lot. It’s quite an interesting race and I think it’s a natural next step for our lad. He seems in good form at home.
This race will speak volumes for what we do with him going forward. It’s easy to aim for big races, like the one at Newbury, but the truth is you need to be winning a race like this to have that conversation.

Clap Of Thunder (4.00pm) runs in the final race on Friday, coming off the back of a very nice win at Ascot where he won comfortably in a race that didn’t end up being the strongest test. That said, the way he handled it was impressive, and he also jumped much better than he had previously at Chepstow, showing clear improvement. He won the race pretty much as he pleased. He’s only had 13 days of rest since then, so it’s a relatively quick turnaround, but he seems to have recovered well and he’s been in exceptional form at home. We were happy with his opening mark and thought this 0-125 contest would be a valuable opportunity to assess him further.

Cheltenham, Saturday

East India Dock (12.35pm) runs in the opener on Saturday, the G2 Triumph Trial. This is another one I’m taking for James Owen, a fruitful partnership I mentioned in my blog last week and one I’m thoroughly enjoying. This horse won nicely at Wincanton at the end of October and showed a really good attitude – I was very impressed with his jumping that day. Obviously, this Grade 2 race will be tougher in deeper company, but he ran to quite a high standard last time out. He also stays well, so keep an eye on him as he tackles the Cheltenham hill.

Gowel Road (2.55pm) is running in what looks to be a competitive handicap hurdle. He ran an absolute cracker here at Cheltenham last time out and was just unlucky to bump into one on the day. He’s in good form and came out of that Cheltenham race well. Ideally, he’d prefer much softer ground, but in these conditions, you’re somewhat forced to run. You want to get these horses out, and as long as the ground is safe, they’ll all be running. This lad seems in very good nick and has the quality to deliver strong performances on softer ground, though his run on good ground last time showed he’s a very capable horse and can’t be discounted on any surface.

Cheltenham, Sunday

Guard Your Dreams (1.45pm) runs in a rather tricky Novice Handicap. He’s another who ran nicely here last time at the Showcase meeting. He jumped well that day and there was a marked improvement at Cheltenham compared to his run at Warwick, given it’s a stiffer jumping test. I think we’ll adjust tactics this time around, as last time we rode him quietly and took a slightly wider passage. We’ll aim to have him a bit handier, which will hopefully see him go even closer.

I’m also set to ride Matata (2.20pm) who is usually one of Daryl Jacob’s mounts, so I’d like to wish him a very speedy recovery. Last time out at the Showcase meeting, Matata ran a fantastic race, jumping superbly and showing great enthusiasm. He loves to set the pace, which is the approach we’ll stick with, aiming for another bold performance on Sunday. There’s every reason to believe he’s ready to make a breakthrough at a higher level and get his head in front this time.

My final ride of the weekend is Minella Hollow (4.00pm) in the bumper. This’ll be my first time riding him for John Nallen. I don’t have too much to say in terms of a preview as I’ve never ridden him, but from watching videos and replays, he looks a progressive type. He’s been rather green both times he hit the front in his previous two starts, but I quite like that because it suggests he still has untapped potential.