Broadway Boy primed for Cheltenham opening act

Twiston-Davies runner back on familiar ground for seasonal bow.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Broadway Boy will get his campaign under way at Cheltenham on Saturday in the William Hill Committed To Top Prices Handicap Chase.

The six-year-old has an almost flawless record at the track having won three of his four runs around the Prestbury Park venue.

He was victorious there on his final hurdles start and was the runner-up behind Flooring Porter in a Cheltenham novice on his second start over fences.

He returned again to win a Listed chase next time out, and slotted in the last leg of the hat-trick when taking a valuable handicap over three miles and two furlongs in December.

Broadway Boy in action at Cheltenham
Broadway Boy in action at Cheltenham (Nigel French/PA)

That was his final success of last term, but he has been pleasing connections in his preparation for the new season and is set to return to action on Saturday.

“He’s in fantastic form, he’s been training well and we’re very happy with him. We’re all looking forward to getting him started,” said assistant trainer Willy Twiston-Davies.

“Everything’s been spot on with him, we’re obviously hoping to get him off to a good start on Saturday if it’s not too dry. Then we’ll look towards what was the Hennessy (the Coral Gold Cup).

“He has a great record at Cheltenham and he seems to love the track, so we’re hoping for a big run.”

Kim Bailey’s Does He Know carries top-weight of 12st and Broadway Boy is not far behind him with 11st 11lb, whereas Richard Hobson’s Some Scope is at the other end of the spectrum.

Carrying just 10st 2lb, the six-year-old will be ridden by Gavin Sheehan as he makes his seasonal bow after a productive time last term.

A smart winner of two handicap chases at Catterick and then Doncaster, the gelding then returned to the latter track to finish second to the aforementioned Does He Know in the Grimthorpe Chase.

A trip to Cheltenham followed for a three-mile-one-furlong handicap chase in which he finished a creditable fourth.

“He’s been very good, he finished last season on an OK run at Cheltenham, but we had rapeseed around us and it affected all the horses,” Hobson said.

“He had a hard enough race for a six-year-old in the Grimthorpe in testing conditions, which were not to his liking.

“He’s fresh and well and it will be nice to run him on some decent ground.

“It wasn’t a bad run at Cheltenham by any means, he just had a lot of work to do from where he was and I felt he might have been a bit below par from the issue with the rapeseed we were having at the time and him having had a hard race at Doncaster.

“He’ll improve for the run, most of ours do, and it’s not all about their first time out.”

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