Bristol De Mai heading to Aintree not Cheltenham
Monday 12 February 2018 12:12, UK
Bristol De Mai is to be aimed at the Betway Bowl after being taken out of the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Connections of the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained seven-year-old have decided to opt for the Grade One chase at Aintree in April and scratched him from next month's blue riband.
Bristol De Mai holds an entry in the Randox Health Grand National as well, but the Bowl looks the more likely objective.
"Everything is fine. We're going to go to Aintree. He's going for the Bowl, probably not the National," said Twiston-Davies. "He is 100 per cent. Blaklion is our main one in the National and he's in good form."
Bristol De Mai had looked a serious Gold Cup candidate when storming to victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November but has since been well beaten in the King George VI Chase and the Cotswold Chase.
He was available at odds of around 33-1 for the Gold Cup.
reopens Twiston-Davies has also left the way clear for The New One to go for the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle after scratching his stable stalwart from the Unibet Champion Hurdle. The New One has run in the two-mile showpiece for the last four years, finishing third, fourth and fifth twice However, connections named the Stayers' Hurdle as the objective after the 10-year-old won the Champion Hurdle Trial for the fourth successive year last month. The New One is around a 12-1 chance for the Stayers' and was at bigger odds for the Champion.
