Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker pipped Gerri Colombe to seal victory in the Brown Advisory Novices Chase on the second day of the Cheltenham festival.
Ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, the horse lead from early in the race, fighting off competition from Bronn throughout.
A late resurgence from Gerri Colombe put huge pressure on The Real Whacker late on, forcing the race to a photo finish.
“It was a fantastic race, obviously it’s always a privilege to be asked to ride these races and I’m very lucky to ride them,” said Twiston Davies after the race.
“There was great support in him and they said he was in good nick. He was absolutely spot on.”
A poor landing on the final hurdle put extra pressure on Twiston-Davies, but he held his nerve to win the Brown Advisory Novices’ Hurdle on day two of the festival.
“A win at Cheltenham, it’s a dream come true,” said trainer Neville.
“I’ve been coming here for over 20 years and I just thought I’d never feel like this, It’s unreal.”
