The New One given Cheltenham Festival goal

Connections did contemplate stepping up in trip to three miles for the Stayers’ Hurdle but the absence of former winners Faugheen and Annie Power swayed them otherwise.

Victorious in the 2013 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle under the trainer’s son Sam, hurdling’s premier race has not brought out the best in The New One, who has won 15 out of 24 career starts as well as nearly £900,000 in prize money.

A fast-finishing third in 2014 when badly hampered by the ill-fated Our Conor’s fatal fall, The New One was fifth to old foe Faugheen in the 2015 renewal before finishing fourth to Annie Power 12 months ago.

Now nine, only three horses of this venerable age have won the Champion Hurdle in the past quarter of a century – Royal Gait (1992), Rooster Booster (2003) and Hurricane Fly (2013).

Yet Twiston-Davies, who trains near Cheltenham, remains one of jump racing’s great optimists. He said: “Hopefully this is the year everything falls right for him.

“We’ve decided now to go for the Champion Hurdle rather than the Stayers’ Hurdle as it’s not as hot as it has been and we’ve not got a Faugheen in there.

“Looking at the ratings, he should be right there. He and Yanworth are the top two-rated horses and there’s only a pound between them.”

The New One has enjoyed a fine season so far and made every yard of the running to win a third International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December.

He was no match for Yanworth in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, but then toughed out victory at Haydock in January.

“Cheltenham brings the best out of him,” said Twiston-Davies, who attributes his current success to the pleasure derived from watching his sons Sam and Willy ride his horses. “We’re happier than we have been for a long time.

“He’s had soundness issues in the past, but since October, he’s not had an unsound step.

“He’ll have one tomorrow now I’ve said that!

“He doesn’t seem to be showing his age. When he won the International at Cheltenham, he was sparkling that day. He never seems to sparkle at Haydock, but back at his favourite course, hopefully he’ll be flying up the hill.”

Twiston-Davies also believes Bristol De Mai can spring a surprise in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, a race won by the trainer’s Imperial Commander in a vintage 2010 renewal.

A runaway winner of Haydock’s Peter Marsh Chase on the same afternoon that The New One laboured, the trainer says there’s a legitimate explantion for the young horse’s below-par run behind Colin Tizzard’s Native River – the current Gold Cup favourite – in Newbury’s Denman Chase last month.

Twiston-Davies said: “I think he’s very exciting. We can put a line through Newbury as he was not himself that day.

“We thought, ‘Oh dear, he’s not very good’, but we got him back and he was lame for the whole of the next week. He’s come back right now and if he stays sound, he’s very good and I’m very hopeful.”

Record prize money will be up for grabs at Pontefract this summer. Managing director Norman Gundill confirmed the figure will rise by nearly £100,000 to £1.133m. He also said prize money at each of the three Sunday meetings will be in excess of £100,000 – quality racing has proved to be a hit with racegoers on these special family days.

George Baker is still recovering in intensive care following his horror fall on the ice at St Moritz last weekend.

Baker, who won the St Leger last September on Harbour Law, was riding Boomerang Bob on the frozen lake track when the horse was brought down and fatally injured. Following a track inspection, a crack was found in the ice. The rider’s agent Guy Jewell said: “He’s still resting and sleeping a lot.”

Hollywoodien, who won at Wetherby on Boxing Day for trainer Tom Symonds despite jockey James Davies riding with a fractured wrist, heads the entries for tomorrow’s Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury.