A name that is essentially synonymous with British jump racing, the Twiston-Davies family has deep roots within the sport.
Growing up in Taunton, very much in a racing family, it seemed inevitable from an early age that Sam Twiston-Davies’ path was already laid out for him.
‘Growing up in our yard was a great contraceptive!’ – Sam Twiston-Davies on working with his family at Cheltenham hopes
AS concerning as it is to contemplate, jockey Sam Twiston-Davies is now an elder statesman in the weighing room. It only feels like a few years ago he was the emerging teenage…
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His father, Nigel, a Gold Cup-winning and Grand National-winning trainer, has been a central figure in his career, while spending his childhood around horses definitely influenced his career path.
Entry Into Racing
Having taken part in pony races and amateur events during his youth, aged 16 he then finished third in the 2009 Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham atop Baby Run who was trained by his father. One year later, the duo won the same race.
Due to his heritage and training from an early age, he was quick to break into the ranks early in his career and during the 2010/11 season, he won the Conditional Jockeys’ Championship, a considerable achievement considering his company and age.
Meanwhile, in April 2014, established British trainer, Paul Nicholls appointed him as his stable jockey; a partnership that yielded a number of significant wins, including the Queen Mother Championship Chase aboard Dodging Bullets, in addition to the Coral Cup on Aux Ptits Soins at the Cheltenham Festival.
Notable Career Achievements
Indeed, during the 2013/14 season, he rode his first century of winners, while his most prolific was the corresponding one with 144 to his name.
He then went on to have further success at the Cheltenham Festival in the years that followed, enjoying success on Diego Du Chemil (Fred Winter, 2016) and Ballyandy (Champion Bumper, 2016).
Twice he has been victorious in the Scottish Grand National on Vicente, while he has also triumphed in the King George VI Chase and the Punchestown Gold Cup on Clan Des Obeaux.
With well in excess of 1600 career wins, Twiston-Davies certainly has a lot more left in his tank, meanwhile he continues to ride over 100 winners every year.
Big Races Surely A Target
While he definitely has significant pedigree at the Cheltenham Festival, there is undoubtedly one race that still eludes him; indeed, one that is often seen as the crowning achievement of many jockeys; the Gold Cup.
However, there is still hope that he can win this and, as we have seen, miracles do happen in this sport. What is in his favour, is that he knows the festival well (as does his father) so winning this could still be in reach.
Though, it is the Grand National that often throws up some of the biggest surprises in the sport, with numerous outsiders having won the event over the decades. This could also be a possibility over the next few years, especially with it being somewhat of a lottery.
It is usually a major dream of professional jump jockeys to win a prestigious race in their career, such as the Gold Cup or the Grand National, while there are those elite few who win both, or one on multiple occasions!