to be going over fences next season! FROM RP: NIGEL TWISTON-DAVIES on Tuesday revealed an exciting plan to run Champion Hurdle regular The New One over fences, with the dual Grade 1-winning hurdler reportedly showing zest in his schooling sessions at home. Fourth to Annie Power in his third consecutive Champion Hurdle in March, The New One had been expected to stick to what he knows best this season but the eight-year-old has convinced connections to try something new and his 26th career start is set to be his first over fences. "We’re actually going to run him in a novice chase," said Twiston-Davies. "I don’t know where yet but I’m keen on it. "We didn’t think we were going to go over fences but we thought we’d try him and his schooling has been brilliant. As soon as the ground is right and we find the right race he’s ready to go." Fifth to Faugheen in the Champion in 2015 and third to Jezki the previous year, The New One does boast a Cheltenham Festival win to his name having landed the 2013 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, while his other Grade 1 success came in the Aintree Hurdle the following year.
Unless you are personally involved financially why would it matter? No point in watching him win 3 runner Grd2 hurdles 2 or 3 times a season. At least they are trying to make a progressive move with the horse that may lead to better things. The worst that can happen is he reverts back to hurdles bar he doesn't injure himself jumping.
I'm never very keen on these apparent 'after-thoughts' and my big worry would be a repeat of the terrible consequences that resulted from a similar decision with Oscar Whisky a couple of seasons ago.
That's my worry- he hasn't truly struck me as a chaser and the way he lugs right handed when jumping hurdles worries me a bit too. I appreciate they admit he isn't a Grade 1 hurdler but I hope they aren't kidding themselves with the chasing thing. Just hoping Twister keeps sensible with him.
If ya's have that attitude lads ya's would get nothing done with a horse. "Best not run over fences with him, remember Oscar Whiskey" Better to try and know than never try at all imo. I don't think he will be a good chaser but only one way to find out. Sounds like he's schooling well. He can always return to out battle Rayvin Black for another 5 year if it doesn't work.
the twister is a pretty able trainer I think we can all agree -so surely let's see what they can achieve with him -since his hurdling exploits aren't going to improve , this at least may open up other
Bet the bookies are sad to see this considering he was incredibly sent off at just 7/2 for the Champion in March having been all out beating County Hurdle horses for the best part of 18months!!! What a gift he's been for the layers there against the elite hurdlers But seriously, this decision screams desperation for a horse having spent 4 seasons over hurdles. Surely they could have rolled the dice and tried 3m with him, he'd no bother running out a Neptune winner nearly 4 years ago now, the flat spots seem to be getting longer, to my eye, a step up looked the answer rather than ask the poor horse to take on fences at this stage. The staying hurdle division is obviously much shallower too. *If he'd a been owned by JP I'd say the Coral Cup would a been the plan, trip and class more suitable, just need to 'sympathetically' lose to the Stephanie Francis' and Rayvin Blacks as opposed to just scrape past them! The Twister does seem a strange egg at times, this definitely is a weird one but I'm pretty sure Nige has trained a dam sight more Festival winners than me so I wish him and TNO well.
So basically Beefy you are saying that if he were owned by an Irishman he would not have been seen to run on his merits....interesting! I don't see why we need the picture of the laughing fat cat US banker on here either to be honest. He has millions to throw at the game so success has been easily bought by the type of person the British public love to hate! If he is your hero then so be it.
I’ve always subscribed to that old adage ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ and with that in mind can see very little too be gained by switching The New One to the big ‘uns just shy of his 9th birthday. He’s still got the ability, I would have thought, to mop up win and place prizemoney in a lot of weak Graded events before the end of January whilst by comparison the money in novice chases is nowhere near as good and that is, of course, even assuming he’s any good in that sphere! The New One owes connections absolutely nothing and can’t really understand such a move re a horse who is almost 9. Just hope they have the sense to switch back to hurdles, with immediate effect, if it doesn’t work first time out. Not prolong what could be a very bad decision.
Few poor runs here and there never hurt anyone! Re dear Riccardo Ricci it's a wee bit lazy to say it's easy to buy success otherwise why don't owners like Roger Brookhouse, Simon Munir, JP, Barry Connell etc win 2/3 races each year at the Cheltenham Festival? Quite sure they spend on average more on a horse than Ricci does and Paul Nicholls has been writing eye watering cheques for the last 18 months buying all and sundry so that should equal a good half dozen wins at Cheltenham based on the money = success equation! I ain't saying Ricci don't spend loads on a large number of horses but he's certainly getting a much better return per pound spent than these others who write monster cheques too. Personally I think the equation Harold Kirk > Anthony Bromley is closer to the mark!
Lighten up stickler,you know I like a wee laugh now and then that's all-I'm certainly not a fan of fatcat bankers!
This decision reminds me of Rock On Ruby, though he had won a champion hurdle. If he was mine I'd step him up in trip and go for the World Hurdle. Granted as Ted Walsh famously said nobody who owns a horse dreams of winning the world hurdle but I'd take it.
He isn't going to win anything at Cheltenham. They should be looking at the Welsh Champion Hurdle, the Scottish Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle. It doesn't make a difference to me if he goes chasing or not though. Not my horse and the owners can do what they want with him. Having said that, they will be suffering from over confidence as is the way with almost every owner of a top hurdler that goes chasing.
I don't think he'd win either but the World Hurdle is a more realistic festival option than a novice chase. As he's been to the festival the last 5 years whatever route he goes down connections will want to have a day out at the festival I'd have thought. Having said that they do have Blaklion too
I just hope he is a safe and sound chaser. Whatever he achieves is a bonus because having won a Neptune and placed in a Champion, he owes no one anything. It's late to go chasing and my gut feeling is he hasn't been the same horse as the one that won a Neptune and ran 3rd in the Champion with the reported kissing spine injury. Twister can't seem to accept he isn't as good as he thought and I hope he has been brilliant in schooling rather than Twisters misguided overconfidence.
