Potters Charm ready for Wetherby's bet365 Hurdle

Willy Twiston-Davies hopes Potters Charm can advertise his staying hurdle credentials in the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby on day two of the bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting on Saturday.

Potters Charm started last season with four straight victories, including the Grade Two Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day. 

The six-year-old was defeated on his two subsequent starts, most recently finishing fifth behind The New Lion in the 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 would not stay. He won well over two and a half and two mile five around Cheltenham last season. Both times he switched off well and was not stopping up the hill.”

Potters Charm is set to come up against Strong Leader, who won the G1 Liverpool Hurdle for Olly Murphy in 2024 and finished second in the same Aintree contest at the backend of last season.

The bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting begins on Friday, with promising juvenile Ammes aiming for a third straight win in the Listed Paul Ferguson's Jumpers To Follow Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle.

Rated 90 on the Flat, Ammes has made a seamless transition to hurdles for James Owen, winning juvenile events at Sedgefield and Chepstow by an aggregate of 16 lengths. 

Gary and Josh Moore saddle recent Fontwell scorer The Bellhop, with the stable having won this race in 2021 with subsequent Grade One winner Porticello. Adam Nicol is represented by Irish import Minella Study, who scored on his hurdling debut at Tipperary for John Nallen.

Tommy’s Oscar heads the weights for the feature handicap on the card, the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap Chase over just shy of two and a half miles. A multiple Graded-race winner for Ann Hamilton, Tommy’s Oscar finished third on his comeback at Kelso earlier this month.

Dan Skelton looks to continue his excellent course record with Thistle Ask, who lines up under a penalty following a successful debut for the yard at Kelso last weekend. 

Fergal O'Brien’s Sixmilebridge, who defeated Potters Charm in the Grade Two Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in January, makes his chasing debut in the bet365 'Chasing Excellence' Beginners' Chase. Olly Murphy saddles The Four Sixes, who is rated 2lb higher than Sixmilebridge over hurdles thanks to wins at Bangor and Ayr in the spring.

Jonjo Sanderson, Clerk of the Course, said: “The ground is still Good ahead of the bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting. We commenced a 20mm irrigation cycle on Tuesday, which is due to finish on Wednesday afternoon.

"We will then review the position in conjunction with the latest weather forecasts on Thursday morning and re-assess. The forecast currently suggests that there are passing rain showers on Friday afternoon and again overnight into Saturday.”