Cheltenham Saturday: Broadway Boy books Festival ticket

Successful at Listed level at last month’s November Meeting, the five-year-old survived three blunders to make virtually every yard of the running in the Premier Handicap.

Facing a challenge from Threeunderthrufive all the way up the run-in, Broadway Boy kept finding and at the finish came home a length-and-a-quarter to the good. Back in third and staying on, a further length-and-three-quarters adrift, was Grade One winner Protektorat.

It was a third success in the contest for both trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and his jockey son Sam, who previously teamed up with Cogry (2018 & 2019).

Nigel Twiston-Davies said: “His jumping was brilliant on the whole, but he made three mistakes down the back and if it wasn’t for those he would have won quite easily. He is very tough and really good.

“After the last day this race came onto the agenda. We are always looking for big money and this race was worth a lot of money. You can go for a novice chase for half of the money so that is the idea of going for a race like this.

“We certainly do like pitching novice chasers against experienced horses when we get the chance. We have done all our lives, and we have earnt a lot of money doing that.

“I feel sorry for the handicapper as quite often he doesn’t have a chance to assess things so it is a good way of doing things. I was delighted when Protektorat was declared to keep the weights down. It meant the world to us. He could go for either the National Hunt Chase or the Brown Advisory come The Festival. We will just have to see what the opposition looks like before making those decisions.

“He has taken us a bit by surprise as for a five-year-old to be this good is quite something, but we like being surprised. I think everybody would think he could win at the top level after today.”

The winning rider added: “There was lots of indecision as we just started to go a little bit quicker and I was trying to conserve energy. But he is quite intense, always coming and almost wasting energy [speaking in reference to Broadway Boy’s jumping errors].

“But the main thing is he has won. I am delighted for Willy (brother) and Charlie who looks after him. Willy has always had so much faith in this lad, I know it’s quite easy when you look at him now but I remember when Willy broke him in with Ryan Hatch as a store horse he was always Willy’s favourite. So, when actually turn out to be quite good it’s a nice story.

“It was a fair effort today – you have to think how hard a race he had last time and then he has gone and done it all again today. Well done to dad, Willy, Charlie and all the team.”

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