Having this year joined forces with his legendary father Nigel, trainer Willy Twiston-Davies reveals the secret to winning the Charlie Hall, his perspective on the Cheltenham November meeting, how that influences Festival preparation and his thoughts on why the Irish are so dominant at Cheltenham.
Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports, the former jockey tells us what he believes is the ideal gap in races for horses, his thoughts on the Mares Hurdle and his great admiration for the Mullins Racing Team and jockey Tom Bellamy.
The piece concludes with some honest reflections on where racing is in 2025, his ideal candidate to fix the industry, calls criticism of jockey Oisin Murphy "unfair" and lightheartedly speaks about his hobbies away from racing and what his dream job would've been if he hadn't been a jockey!
The Charlie Hall
The Charlie Hall
A lot of the time, it's about having a horse very fit for the race. That would be the main key. I think it pays to be quite forward around Wetherby in that race. Ballyoptic was very forward. Bristol De Mai was just a seriously talented horse, and it was a good stepping stone for him.
We've just ran some very good horses. The most important thing was having them fit. A lot of the time, our horses have gone there and been nearly 100% right.
It all depends on whether Master Chewy runs in the Old Roan. He might have an entry in it. But in that same meeting, it looks very much like Potters Charm will start off in the West Yorkshire Hurdle.
We love the race. It used to be the starting point. Splash Of Ginge used to run the Handicap on the Friday. Dad always used to like staying up. It's a very exciting meeting, and it's always warm and welcoming. It's a very prestigious race.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham November Meeting
We will have all sorts there, a bit early. It all depends on how they run this weekend’s Cheltenham meeting.
We'll target a lot of the handicaps. We'll have one eye on the two-and-a-half-mile Grade 2; we could have three or four for that. It depends on which one we think is most suited at the time. We like to split our novice hurdlers up as best as we can.
It depends on the two weeks before, which one's stepping forward the most and looking likely. Yeah. We won't have anything for the Greatwood this year.
Festival Preparation
We've changed it each year. A lot of yards with 160 or 200 horses can plan their approach for one horse. The thing is, for us, a lot of our horses, apart from the graded ones, it's all mapped out for you. For the likes of Potters Charm, you're working back from the Stayers’ Hurdle.
For the likes of Matata and Master Chewy, it's fairly straightforward. They'll either be in a Champion Chase or a Ryanair. For the handicappers, we try not to get caught up by Cheltenham at all.
A lot of the time, you're going to bump into a very well handicapped horse, and Dad and I personally feel there is so much good prize money to be won along the way. You can win a Betfair hurdle or a Ladbroke Hurdle, and it's worth double the County. You can win a Welsh National or a Sky Bet; it's worth more than the Kim Muir.
Of course, we want to have winners at Cheltenham all season, but the most important thing is to do the best by our owners and win as much prize money as we can for their horse throughout the year.
So, if a good opportunity arises on a Saturday where there's going to be six, seven runners in a 100 grand race, we're not going to save our handicap mark for Cheltenham when you might get beaten or something goes wrong.
You've got to make the most of the opportunities. Dan Skelton said it last year, if good prize money is on offer, you've got to support the races and run the right horse you see fit.
Ireland’s Dominance At Cheltenham?
The Prestbury Cup is not Britain v Ireland. It’s Willie, really. Gordon Elliott’s a brilliant trainer, but he had one winner there last year, and he's got 300 horses!
The most important thing when you're training is to worry about your own stock and not everyone else's. All we can do is get our horses to each meeting and run them to the best of their abilities. If you worry about everyone else too much, then you're not doing a good enough job on your own.
Racing’s Challenges: Prize Money and Tradition
Racing Break: The Ideal Gap Between Races
Every horse is different, and it depends on what race they have. For example, Un Sens A La Vie ran the other day, but he wouldn't have blown a candle out. He won unextended, so he's fine for Friday. Whereas a horse like Broadway Boy wanted a bit more space between his races because he put so much into it. Every horse is different; some will take it better than others.
Horses are completely different. Pigeon Island, I think, ran 21 times in his Novice Hurdle season. And he was favourite for the Supreme. And he won a Dovecote. He won some very good races.
The Mares Hurdle
I read something about possibly moving the Gold Cup to a Saturday and the Festival running from the Wednesday. That’s silly. That doesn't make sense. It will clash with Premier League games; it will clash with all sorts of other sports. Tradition works. I don’t think we should go back to three days either. It's all about getting people back attending.
The most important thing is the cost around Cheltenham, not just Cheltenham Racecourse itself, the hotels, for example. Hotels, I think, people could be a lot more customer-friendly.
Our local pub is adamant that he's keeping all his rooms at the same prices all year round. As soon as you start jerking up prices just because there's a big event deters people. No wonder people end up going up to Benidorm. The Gold Cup should be on Friday.
They moved the Derby to a Saturday, and look what’s happened with that. It’s almost a non-event. There used to be hundreds and hundreds of double-decker buses in the middle at Epsom. I don't think there was barely any this year. It’s very sad.
Admiration For Mullins Team
Willie and Patrick Mullins. Probably Patrick, the most actually. Every time I ring him and ask about Irish racing, he's so happy to answer the phone and help.
I'd say he's in a very similar position to me without bein on the license. He speaks to a lot of owners, helps a lot with the planning. Patrick is not an official trainer, but he is so helpful, so knowledgeable and so intelligent and a really good bloke with it. A top man. He'd be riding out, and I’d be ringing up asking what race I could run a filly in and within five minutes, he's Wattsapped them to me.
I'd say without him, Closutton would be a very different team.
The Best Jockey After Sam Twiston Davies?
I'm going to be very biased because he's my best friend. I'll go for Tom Bellamy. He's rode some very good winners for us. He's won a Paddy Power. He’s won on Master Chewy. He's won on Broadway Boy. He's very close and basically part of the family.
Vision for the Future: Leadership and Rule Changes
What Needs Changing
Prize money, but that’s a boring topic! Everyone goes on about it.
You can go to Cheltenham and Aintree, and they look after you brilliantly. But you could go to Worcester or some other courses, and it’s the opposite. People are paying very good money to have horses in training, and I think some of the owners and trainers’ facilities are just not good enough. Owners are spending a lot of money, and it seems they’re getting fobbed off with a £4 meal. That's not good enough.
Revamped BHA
The interesting thing is, I don't think there's been someone at the helm that's had a true passion and who’s been in the sport the whole time. You need someone who's been in the nitty-gritty and seen the worst of it to understand the true problems and the depth of it all.
My Pick To Transform Racing
I've got a really good idea, and she's an owner of ours, so she'd probably hate me for saying it.
It’s Jayne McGivern. She’s an incredible woman. She's so driven, and she's succeeded in everything she’s done. She’s a very successful businesswoman who has worked on massive sports infrastructure projects around the world. She's working in Saudi Arabia at the minute.
She's a very intelligent woman who doesn't take no for an answer and would make the sport the best it could possibly be.
Haggas Criticim Of Oisin Murphys Riding Tactics “Unfair”
I think it's unfair to target just Oisin. He's a friend of mine. It happens in everyday racing. If you watch a lot of the Irish jockeys who come over during the Festival, they're wiping people out the whole time, and it's not mentioned. I think there's got to be a stronger rule on it.
I agree the rules need changing. I remember years ago watching a Derby, I wouldn't name the Irish jockey involved, but he ruined an English jockey's race, even though he had no chance. And you can see that a lot at the Festival. They ride very differently to us. We like to give each other space where they want to be as tight and all over you.
They'll say it's race riding, but at times it can be dangerous. They ride very differently to us. If you're half a length down, they don't mind squeezing you up. Over here, you're supposed to give the room. It seems to be a lot more relaxed when they're racing over there.”
Personal Passions: Beyond the Racecourse
Other Dreams: F1!
I’d love to have worked in Formula 1. I'd love to have done that. I'm not saying as a driver! But I'd love to have been on the pit wall or been part of the team. I think it's all fascinating.
I've been to Silverstone, but I'd like to do a Grand Prix abroad. Max Verstappen is just a brilliant driver. I love all the chaos! Nothing seems to be the same week in week out. There's always gossip. Travelling the world and going to places like Japan and Singapore would be unbelievable.
My Guilty Pleasure
I've just taken up golf, which I'm getting quite obsessed with. And I like cooking a roast on a Sunday. And now I can enjoy it!
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