History beckons for Ollie Magern

THE roll call of top horses trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies reads like a who's who of modern steeplechasing. His Grand National winners Earth Summit and Bindaree; his Hennessy hero King's Road; his Whitbread winner Beau. And then Imperial Commander – the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup champion.

He is one of a select group of trainers who have won both the Gold Cup and Grand National, a feat that has eluded the prolific Paul Nicholls, the current champion. But, when it comes to naming his favourite racehorse, Twiston-Davies is like so many people in racing – he is a sentimentalist.

Without hesitation, he nominates Ollie Magern– the 12-year-old who hopes to roll back the years, and defy his veteran status, by becoming the first horse to win three renewals of the bet 365 Charlie Hall Chase, Wetherby's richest race.

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If he does, Ollie Magern – victorious in both 2005 and 2007 – will surpass the great two-time winners of this race, illustrious horses like Wayward Lad, the pride of Yorkshire; the brilliant ill-fated grey One Man and See More Business who provided the aforementioned Nicholls with the first of his four Gold Cup victories.

Wetherby is a lucky track – three of Ollie Magern's 13 career wins have come at the venue and the horse always seems to reserve his best for West Yorkshire.

"If I knew why, this job would be a hell of a lot easier," said the trainer who also won the Wetherby feature with Tipping Tim in 1992 and Young Hustler two years later.

"He's been brilliant and this is his race of the year – it is his Gold Cup. The old adage 'horses for courses' I suppose.

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"He's one of my all-time favourites and he's what makes jumping so special, he comes back year after year and never disappoints. As enthusiastic as ever, and as mad as a hatter."

Twiston-Davies accepts that his stable star lacked that "bit of extra class" to win a Gold Cup or Grand National, but that should not diminish from his record – or his bravery in defeat 12 months ago when the relentless front-runner was collared on the run-in by the Evan Williams-trained Deep Purple, today's favourite.

Again, Ollie Magern will be conceding three years to the deserved market leader – and four years to the Queen's intriguing Barbers Shop – but it should be noted that the Twiston-Davies stable is in flying form, with more than 50 winners this season.

Yet, whatever happens today Twiston-Davies will always be grateful for acquiring Ollie Magern in 2002 when his training career was at a crossroads.

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Having trained the 1998 National winner Earth Summit, he was on the brink of quitting the sport – and running a pub instead – when Bindaree won the Aintree marathon four years later. Since then, his career has not looked back, culminating with Imperial Commander's victory in the Gold Cup.

Having shunned the limelight when Earth Summit won the National, famously declining an interview request from the BBC's Des Lynam in the Aintree winner's enclosure, Twiston-Davies appears far more comfortable in the limelight. "A horse like Ollie came along at the right time – he's been great as we got going again."

He is unsure what gave him the greater pleasure at Cheltenham; course specialist Imperial Commander's Gold Cup heroics or his teenage son Sam, one of the country's top riding prospects, winning the Foxhunters Chase 40 minutes later on Baby Run. "I'm probably harder on Sam than any other jockey, but he's a good lad."

The confident nature of Twiston-Davies junior certainly helps. He is already a far more accomplished, and successful, jockey than his father who won 17 races under rules and 17 in point-to-points.

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But the rider's father is also keen to prove that Imperial Commander's Gold Cup success was not a fortuitous one-off because of Kauto Star's heavy fall. Twiston-Davies intends to follow the sparing tactics adopted by Henrietta Knight when Best Mate was winning three successive Gold Cups, by running Imperial Commander just three times this season.

The campaign begins with next month's Betfair Chase at Haydock, a race where Imperial Commander came within a whisker of beating Kauto Star 12 months ago, before the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day. From there, the stable star will go on to Cheltenham.

Twiston-Davies believes his horse was not given sufficient credit for his Haydock run 12 months ago – or his Gold Cup triumph. He hopes to put this right.

"He definitely is more forward than he was last year," added the 53-year-old. "He's only going to have the three runs – the Betfair, the King George and then the Gold Cup – so we'll make sure he's fit for the big targets

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"Let's hope he is improving. It seems funny when he is nine, rising 10. He was very late starting so why can't he be late finishing? Eighteen races is not much for a Gold Cup winner.

"But, in the meantime, I'll settle for Ollie Magern doing the business in the Charlie Hall."

Malton's Brian Ellison has a decent prospect on his hands if the victory of Neptune Equester (5-1) is anything to go by.

The seven-year-old was making it a hat-trick over fences in the bet365 Handicap Chase.

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Fresh from a spin on the level at Pontefract, Fearghal Davis did not have too many anxious moments in beating Qulinton by five lengths at Wetherby with Mister McGoldrick back in third.

"He's a good horse, we've not had him long," said Ellison. "He jumps well and has got all the gears."

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