Horse Talk with Simon Jackson:

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NIGEL Twiston-Davies has won the Paddy Power Gold Cup four times and bids to add to the tally with Al Dancer in the feature race of The November Meeting at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Twiston-Davies, based near Cheltenham at Guiting Power, has won the two and a half-mile contest with Tipping Tim (1992), Imperial Commander (2008), Little Josh (2010) and Splash Of Ginge (2017).

Al Dancer, already a Grade 3 winner over hurdles, has won twice and finished second twice in six chase starts. The seven-year-old was fifth in the Grade 1 Arkle Novices’ Chase at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival and made a winning reappearance in a two-miles and five furlong, Class 2 chase at Newton Abbot on October 11, under the trainer’s son, Sam Twiston-Davies who will be aboard again on Saturday.

Nigel Twiston-Davies said; “Al Dancer is in good form and heads for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday.

“He has come out of his win at Newton Abbot in good form and we were pleased with that performance.

“We are looking forward to running him.”

The £130,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup, first run in 1960, is the highlight of the three-day November Meeting at Cheltenham and will once again be sponsored by Paddy Power, who return to sponsoring the showpiece in 2020, having previously been the backer between 2003 and 2015.

Paddy Power himself said: “We’re absolutely delighted to get a field of 17 for our return to sponsoring this highly-prestigious and always competitive race.

“Mister Fisher has been supported all week and we’re now unable to separate him, Saint Sonnet, and Simply The Betts at the front end of the market.”

Paddy Power odds after final declaration: 9-2 Mister Fisher, Saint Sonnet, Simply The Betts, 15-2  Al Dancer, 9 Slate House, 11 Happy Diva, 12 Siruh Du Lac, Spiritofthegames, 16 Aso, Brelan D’As, 20 Coole Cody, Fidux, Kauto Riko, Sky Pirate, The Russian Doyen, 50 Domaine De L’Isle, 100 Pinson Du Rheu 

Horse Talk with Simon Jackson. Showcasing horse racing in London and the south east.