Analysis of trainer's strongest-ever team

Good things come in pairs, as the saying goes, and given the number of good things being brought to the boil by Nigel Twiston-Davies it would be no surprise to see him pick up at least a pair of trophies.

That is a common occurrence for the Grange Hill Farm operation, with two winners last year matching their 2013 total, while three were racked up in 2010 the year after another double. You have to go back to 2008 for the last time Cheltenham's very own Noah left the meeting with one hand full but not the other.

A member of the Twiston-Davies team in the picturesque Gloucestershire countrysideCredit: Edward Whitaker

This is perhaps the strongest squad he has ever amassed and there are few quite as adept – not to mention punter-friendly – as the man who sits sixth on the list of current trainers when it comes to festival winners.

Given his impressive record at the meeting, it is perhaps surprising just one of those nine winners was sent off joint-favourite, returning SPs of 7-2, 9-2J, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1, 8-1, 11-1, 16-1 and 16-1.

A year after saddling his first festival winner in 1992 he tied with luminaries Martin Pipe and Nicky Henderson for top trainer honours and last year a Wednesday double with Blaklion and Ballyandy took his total to 17.