Willy Twiston-Davies hopes Potters Charm can showcase his staying hurdle credentials in the G2 Wetherby Hurdle on day two of the Charlie Hall Meeting, Saturday, November 1.
Potters Charm began last season in impressive style, registering four consecutive victories including the G2 Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and the G1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.
The six-year-old faced tougher challenges in the spring, finishing fifth behind The New Lion in the G1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Willy Twiston-Davies, who joined his father Nigel on the training licence in May, said:
“We had earmarked this race for Potters Charm a while ago and, provided the ground is on the easy side, he is ready to get started.
We decided to keep him over hurdles this season because the staying hurdle division does not look the strongest. He was a high-class novice and can always go chasing next season.
This will be his first go over three miles, but I can’t see why he wouldn’t stay. He won well over two and a half and two mile five around Cheltenham last season. Both times he switched off well and wasn’t stopping up the hill.”
Potters Charm is expected to meet Strong Leader, who captured the G1 Liverpool Hurdle for Olly Murphy in 2024 and finished runner-up in the same Aintree contest later that season.
Promising Juveniles on Show
The Charlie Hall Meeting begins on Friday, October 31, with Ammes aiming for a third straight victory in the Listed Paul Ferguson’s Jumpers To Follow Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle.
Rated 90 on the Flat, Ammes has transitioned smoothly to hurdles for trainer James Owen, recording dominant wins at Sedgefield and Chepstow by a combined margin of 16 lengths.
Gary & Josh Moore send out The Bellhop, a recent Fontwell scorer, with the stable having won this race in 2021 with subsequent G1 hero Porticello. Adam Nicol is represented by Minella Study, an Irish import who scored on debut over hurdles at Tipperary for John Nallen.
Quality Fields Across the Card
The feature handicap on the Saturday card, the Wetherby Handicap Chase, sees Tommy’s Oscar top the weights. A multiple Graded-race winner for Ann Hamilton, he returned with a strong third-place finish at Kelso earlier this month.
Dan Skelton aims to extend his excellent Wetherby record with Thistle Ask, who lines up under a penalty following a victorious debut for the yard at Kelso last weekend.
Fergal O’Brien’s Sixmilebridge, who beat Potters Charm in the G2 Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in January, makes his chasing debut in the ‘Chasing Excellence’ Beginners’ Chase. Olly Murphy runs The Four Sixes, rated slightly higher than Sixmilebridge over hurdles after spring wins at Bangor and Ayr.
Ground and Preparation
The going at Wetherby remains Good.
Jonjo Sanderson, Clerk of the Course, said:
“The ground is still Good ahead of the Charlie Hall Meeting. We commenced a 20mm irrigation cycle on Tuesday, due to finish Wednesday afternoon. We’ll review conditions alongside the latest forecasts on Thursday morning. The forecast suggests passing rain showers on Friday afternoon and overnight into Saturday.”
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