Little Josh takes Gold Cup

A jockey named Sam was widely predicted to steal the headlines in the Paddy Power Gold Cup today but it was Twiston-Davies, rather than Waley-Cohen, who stepped up to the mark.

Amateur Sam Waley-Cohen was sent off the 2-1 favourite aboard his father's Long Run in the first major handicap chase of the season and the pair managed to claim third place, but they were given a Cheltenham masterclass by 18-year-old Sam Twiston-Davies and the gallant front-runner Little Josh.

The teenager set off at a hectic pace aboard a gelding who dead-heated at Carlisle a fortnight ago, attacking every fence and establishing a lead of at least 10 lengths for much of the way while his trainer-father Nigel chewed his fingernails in the stands.

Little Josh (20-1) winged around the home bend and his stride only began to shorten after the last fence .

But as much as runner-up Dancing Tornado scented blood, passing Long Run on the charge to the line, he was separated from the winner by two and three-quarter lengths.

Nigel Twiston-Davies keeps the memory of his son's Foxhunter triumph on Baby Run on a par with clinching the Gold Cup through Imperial Commander (also the 2008 Paddy Power winner) on the same afternoon this March, and this was another moment of what will surely be many for the family scrapbook.

"Didn't he do well?" remarked Twiston-Davies snr.

"He rode into every fence as if it was the last, but he gave him a breather on the back straight before he kicked on again.

"I kept thinking, 'Will he last?, will he last?', but the boy knows better than I do.

"I feel sorry for Paddy Brennan (stable jockey), but he can't ride both. Pigeon Island was a Festival winner for him this year, and he had to ride him again."

Reflecting on the pressure, he added: "There's so much more responsibility when your son is riding.

"The owners are kind enough to let him ride their horses but as his father, if he mucks up, I feel responsible.

"When it goes right there's nothing better. This goes to the top of the pile.

"It's very special - Cheltenham is our local track but we can't overtake what happened on Gold Cup day here."

Little Josh is likely to be kept busy, the trainer adding: "We've been thinking about the race for a long time and I expect he'll come back here for the Gold Cup in December.

"Then we've got to start thinking about the Ryanair Chase and that kind of race if he wins.

"Hopefully both horse and jockey can go to the top.

"It's early days and I don't think he's Imperial Commander, but where there's life, there's hope."

Sam Twiston-Davies said: "He was class, he did everything spot-on.

"Baby Run was different, but it's just class to ride winners around Cheltenham.

"You ride every race as it comes but I couldn't have had a better partner. You can trust him with your life and he'll try his best for you.

"He loves jumping, but the last furlong felt longer than the rest of the race."

Nicky Henderson trained Long Run, as well as fourth-placed Mad Max.

The former was considered a certainty by many experts, but his jumping was rather sticky at times.

Connections are nonetheless undeterred from sending the five-year-old for a clash with Kauto Star in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, although he was eased slightly in the betting.

Henderson said: "Both ran great races. I think it's possible that Long Run might find it easier on a flat track and at the moment we won't change our plans and the King George will be the next stop for him.

"That was a cut and thrust - a proper handicap chase - and the one thing you need to do at Kempton is stay, which this horse does.

"I think Mad Max probably wants better ground and he just got tired in the ground.

"At the moment I do not have a plan for him."

Sam Waley-Cohen added: "I don't have any excuses as, for the most part, he jumped well and we were beaten fair and square on the day."

Michael Hourigan said of runner-up Dancing Tornado: "The kid (Adrian Heskin) did everything I told him.

"The horse takes a pull so I told him to drop out and weave through them.

"He ran well and I'd say he'll come back here at the next meeting."