Twiston-Davies keeps going despite losing streak

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has no intention of closing down his Somerset yard despite sending out just one winner from 47 runners this month.

Of the three horses he ran at the weekend, Imperial Commander finished a well beaten sixth, 72 lengths behind the brilliant Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase, Beat The Boys was pulled up in the Coral Welsh National and Ollie Magern trailed in fifth in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby.

But Twiston-Davies, who sent out 17 winners in October and 13 in November, will keep going and has five horses entered at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

"We've had a bad Christmas, with several horses running below what they're capable of," Twiston-Davies said. "But we won't be closing down."

Imperial Commander was trying three miles for the first time in the King George but Twiston-Davies is adamant it wasn't the distance that proved beyond the Paddy Power Gold Cup winner. He added: "He was beaten too far for it to have been a lack of stamina. It can only be that he wasn't right."