Twig

Foaled in 2015, Twig has worked his way through the ranks of national hunt racing to find himself towards the top level, able to run in some of the biggest handicap races in the calendar.

Trained by Ben Pauling, a trainer who is also moving his way through the ranks of the game, this pair are working together to improve each other’s reputation.

He’s adapted well to racing, whatever discipline he’s been put in, with strong performances over both hurdles and fences. In July of 2023, when he was kept in training for a summer campaign, he would record his first big race success.

Heading to Uttoxeter, he won the Summer Cup at the course. It was then that he was really starting to push forward and head into the better quality of races.

Further strong performances would come as the 2023/24 season got underway. At the end of that season, he would find himself at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, where he would finish second in the ultra-competitive Ultima Handicap Chase. After that run, he would go to Aintree and finish 5^th in another very strong race.

These two performances highlighted him as a strong staying chaser. We’ve seen horses go onto the Grand National after the Ultima, and this was now the plan for Twig.

Nominated as his main target from quite a way before, all eyes were on the 2025 Grand National for connections and trainer Pauling. The horse made it to the race and would run respectably to finish in 10^th position under jockey Beau Morgan.

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