All hail an old warrior, one for the tracker and a trainer wide of the mark

Performance of the week

It wasn't pretty but it never has been for The New One in the Unibet Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock.

On Saturday the popular hurdler ground out his fourth consecutive victory in the Grade 2, showing he still has the fire in his belly at the age of ten.

Giving away 6lb to the smart Ch'Tibello was a fine achievement in itself, but it was the way he battled back once headed to snatch the spoils that was so laudable.

The New One's longevity is quite sensational when you consider he has won 20 of his 36 career starts since starting out as a three-year-old in a junior bumper at Warwick in 2011.

Nigel Twiston-Davies and his team deserve plenty of credit for their part in this remarkable tale as The New One has hardly had any time on the sidelines.

Pointer of the week

Testify's victory in Saturday's Altcar Novices' Chase at Haydock caused the odd ante-post ripple for the Cheltenham Festival and the Donald McCain-trained chaser definitely looks worth following given the exploits of the previous winners of the race.

First run in 1996, the Grade 2 has produced festival winners Nahthen Lad (RSA), Our Armageddon (Cathcart), My Way De Solzen (Arkle) and Taquin Du Seuil (JLT).

You can also throw into the mix Diamond Harry and Bristol De Mai - not forgetting last year when Waiting Patiently beat Politologue. If Testify's not in there already, stick him in your horse tracker.

Don't give up the day job

Charlie Mann can be relied upon to give his opinion on most matters but his view on the chances of one of his runners last week came back to bite him.

In advance of Oregon Gift's appearance at Lingfield on Friday, Mann was quoted on the Lambourn trainers' website as saying: "Absolutely useless. Doesn't have any chance at all and it will be out of my yard on Saturday I think. No good, leave it alone."

You don't need to be a genius to work out what happened next. Yes that's right, Oregon Gift proved his trainer totally wrong by winning at 12-1.

Next time Mann is so downbeat about one of his runners, remember to lump on.

Tweet of the week

Quote of the week

He's nearly paid my mortgage – I'll have to rename my house after him!

Sam Twiston-Davies after yet another memorable day at Haydock aboard The New One, whose career earnings have soared past the £1 million mark

Video of the week

Watch horses from the stable of Denis Quinn, who is located behind a Chinese restaurant on on Newmarket's High Street, battle with the traffic to get to the working grounds

If you are interested in this, you might also like:

The New One makes history with fourth consecutive Champion Hurdle Trial win

'Absolutely useless, no chance at all' advises Mann. Guess what happened next!

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