Sam Twiston-Davies Blog: I just keep thinking about East India Dock

William Hill ambassador Sam Twiston-Davies previews his rides on Saturday at Doncaster and starts to turn his attention to the Cheltenham Festival.

William Hill are Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK & Irish races from 8am on the day of the race, as well as Non-Runner Money Back on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.

Saturday, Doncaster

Cheltenham is entering my thoughts a bit more often as the days go by, but before then there’s a couple of good weekends of racing, kicking off with Doncaster and the Grimthorpe on Saturday.

Dameofthecotswolds (2.05pm) runs in the three-mile novice hurdle. She seems in good nick at home, and I’m actually going to ride her slightly differently here. Obviously, she’s been stepping up in distance from when she went three miles at Windsor.

That day, it didn’t really suit her against the boys, but now back in against her own sex she’ll have a decent chance. She’s not the slowest and should be able to get amongst the prize money.

Next up is Gabriel’s Getaway (2.40pm) for Anthony Honeyball. He is two pounds out of the handicap, but he was last year as well when he won it, so it’s obviously a race that suits him. I’m expecting them to go very fast again, and that seemed to work well last year. So, pretty much, we’re hoping for a repeat of last year—that would be nice.

Weveallbeencaught (3.15pm) has a live chance in the Grimthorpe. He’s going well at the moment, and it was really nice to see him bounce back to form last time. He’s in good order at home and the trip will suit. Obviously, the track suits him too, as his win last time was here, so there are a lot of positives. Hopefully, a really big run can be expected.

I then have Ike Sport (3:55pm) in a handicap that has been cut down to only seven runners. This is the horse Oisin Murphy rode at Wincanton on Boxing Day. He hasn’t quite been firing recently, but hopefully, we can get him back on track.

I finish off with Mr Mackay (5.07pm). That race has ended up being quite competitive, but he ran in a red-hot race last time at Musselburgh, and it didn’t quite suit him. That was his first time back hurdling after a while off, and he did well. So, back over the same obstacles now, I’m hopeful for some improvement.

Best book of Festival rides for years

My book of rides for this year’s Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be the best I’ve had for years… but I’m quite old now! When I used to go into the Festival, especially for Paul Nicholls, I’d be having four or five rides each day. So, is it my strongest ever? Maybe not—when you look back at the likes of Ballyandy and Dodging Bullets—but certainly, it’s the best for a long time.

I’ve been very lucky over the years, but since moving on from being part of Nicholls’ team, it’s nice to have Festival rides to really look forward to—like East India Dock and Potters Charm. To actually have horses at single-figure odds is quite nice!

I just keep thinking about East India Dock. I’m keeping my fingers crossed every day that he gets there safe and sound—I can’t wait for it now.

Potters Charm, obviously, is another one. Yes, his last run was still good, but in my head, I’m putting a line through it. He is such a special horse to us, and seeing him at home, he’s really starting to turn a corner. The excitement is just growing at home.

Willie’s been giving a big shout for Broadway Boy. I haven’t really sat on him, so he knows better than anyone what kind of nick he’s in. He did a really good bit of work on Wednesday when he went away, so obviously, that’s quite exciting. But you don’t want to get too excited because Cheltenham can be a frustrating place to leave at times.

Broadway Boy can never be discounted—he’s a hardy bit of kit. If he turns up healthy and in good shape, you know he’ll give everything up that hill—he just doesn’t give up, that horse. That’s what’s so nice with Broadway Boy: when he’s not well, you know he’s not well. But when he’s on form, he’ll do anything for you.