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NIGEL TWISTON-DAVIES: IMPERIAL COMMANDER DOING WELL

ABOVE: Nigel Twiston-Davies is glad Imperial Commander came out of the Betfair Chase well

23rd November 2009

By Tony Lewis

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NIGEL Twiston-Davies was back in bullish mood only 24 hours after Imperial Commander's gut-wrenching defeat in Saturday's Betfair Chase at Haydock.

Although he was out of luck at Aintree, he reported that Imperial Commander had come out of his race well.

“He’s great today, not a bother on him,” he said. “He was beaten literally a whisker – it is disappointing.

“That whisker was worth a lot of money. I was champion trainer going into the race and now I’m not!

“I loved Paul Nicholls’s comment that Kauto Star will improve for the race, but ours will improve even more.

“Imperial Commander is a great big, burly horse and he will have needed the race every bit as much as Kauto star did.

“We don’t know about the King George – Kempton is much more Kauto Star’s track – but Cheltenham, let’s have a go!

“There’s nowhere else to go next except Kempton – the Lexus is a bit of a graveyard and I would much rather run
in England.”

Twiston-Davies had to settle for second spot again when Benbens failed to match the favourite Sitting Tenant in the opening Weatherbys’ Bank Maiden Hurdle.

Sitting Tenant suffered an overreach and couldn't make it to the winners' enclosure but winning Jockey Denis O'Regan said: "I think he's fine. There was just a bit of blood underneath the joint so the vet decided to take him
straight down and stitch him up.

“I imagine he will be fi ne in a couple of days.

“He won the bumper here, so he wouldn’t be slow and I would like to see how he would get on in a better class race now.”

The Betfair punter who backed John Forbes at 350-1 in running for the £30,000 Totesport Handicap Hurdle, may have only got £2 on, but it was the third day running that a rallying horse has cost punters who lay stupid prices.

First there was Any Currency who traded at 129-1 at Ascot on Friday, then there was Mr Thriller (99-1) at Haydock on Saturday.

This time Graham Lee produced Sam Lord up the rail to scoot into a two lengths lead over 20-1 shot John Forbes over the last, only to flag nearing the line.

Winning jockey Keith Mercer said: “I thought he was getting tired but he’s put his head down and really tried. He just kept finding and finding.”

Timmy Murphy, who suffered concussion in a fall over the National fences, missed a winner on Imoncloudnine.
William Kennedy did the honours.