Sam Twiston-Davies’ William Hill Blog: Broadway Boy a serious contender at Newbury 

William Hill ambassador Sam Twiston-Davies reviews the past week and previews his rides on Saturday’s big meeting at Newbury. 

Week’s Review 

It was nice to see Torn And Frayed win the Veterans’ Chase at Warwick last week. The Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase Series is a great series, and this is a great reason as to why. This lad didn’t have the best of years last year. His hand was somewhat forced to run in good races, and he was consistent without ever really getting a proper bite of the cherry, so this series has given him a nice opportunity. He didn’t carry much weight, and thankfully, he has been showing us the right signs at home that he still has it, so that was a very deserving win.

Also, in the past week, I had the pleasure of riding Bravemansgame in the Betfair Chase, and he ran a good race. Although I will most likely never ride him again, when I got back, Paul (Nicholls) mentioned the Grand National as a potential target – and I think that is a very good shout. He’s a bold, good jumper, and he clearly stays well and has all the attributes to run a big race.

The yard back home is in flying form, and it was lovely to see Beauport’s decisive victory in the Berkshire National at Ascot. It was a great win for the owners, Bryan and Philippa Burrough, who obviously had a National winner with Corbiere at a very young age. So, for them to now have a potential runner in the Grand National, with hopefully a good chance, is great to see.

On a personal note, I’m up to 66 wins this season now, and I’m having a lot of fun. I’m riding some really nice horses for a lot of nice people, so I’m just really enjoying my time in the saddle at the moment. In my first year with Paul (Nicholls), we were having winners every Saturday, and it became routine to win races every Saturday. The difference now is that I’m able to appreciate it more, so I’m in a really lucky position, with a lot of good rides like the three I have at Newbury on Saturday, which I go through below.

Saturday, Newbury 

I start my day with Guard The Moon (1:54pm) in a competitive Class 2 handicap hurdle. He ran a really good race at Aintree earlier this month, finishing second. We’ve dropped him back half a mile, which I don’t think will cause any problems. This does look like a very competitive race, but we are hoping for another bold showing from him at Newbury, and there’s no reason why he can’t be in the mix.

Next, I have Castelfort (2:25pm) for Jane Williams, who is not a horse I know a great deal about. However, looking at the race, he’s carrying a nice light weight, so he’ll be in with a good chance. He seems to have a good racing attitude, and I must say, Jane Williams’ horses always seem to progress. This is definitely a ride I’m looking forward to, and hopefully, one that can continue the good run of form.

Finally, in the big race, I’ll be riding Broadway Boy (3:00pm), and he’s a real contender. My brother Willy has been very vocal about his chances, and there’s no hiding place. This is a horse he rides out every day, he has a lot of time for him, so this is a special one for my brother. We hadn’t taken Broadway Boy away for a gallop before his run at Cheltenham, so we were really happy with his performance. Obviously, we always want to win the races we’re in, but at the same time, he hopefully has improved since that run and is better prepared for this one at Newbury.

Newbury is a bit different for him; he was running well at Cheltenham last year, which was great to see, as it showed he enjoys the track. Still, I think Newbury will suit many of his attributes, especially his jumping. It’s a slightly different jumping test at Newbury – it’s a big, galloping track and not as undulating as Cheltenham. I think the track will suit him well. He’s won on flatter tracks before, including Market Rasen, so this should be up his street.

His jumping was a lot better last time, and with second-season novices, they always have the tendency to hit one somewhere, but he was very good at Cheltenham. The thing with him is that he’s so straightforward so that makes him a more comfortable ride.

I really hope we can back up Willy’s confidence on the day. The Hennessy has always been known as a huge-field, competitive handicap chase, and this year’s won’t have as big a field as previous years, but on paper, it’s still an ultra-competitive race, and that’s what I expect it to be. He has many of the right attributes, and he’s been trained for this race, so I’m very excited.