Haydock specialist Bristol De Mai on course for Betfair Chase hat-trick bid

Nigel Twiston-Davies is hoping Bristol De Mai can improve again this season and has given the eight-year-old a familiar early-season target in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on November 23.

Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the chaser has won the last two runnings of Haydock's jumps showpiece, the first by a staggering 57 lengths before defeating an elite field a year ago.

A hat-trick in the Grade 1 would bring him level with Cue Card and just one behind four-time winner Kauto Star.

Twiston-Davies, who has enjoyed a great start to the season with 22 winners, said: "He's fine at the moment and he's summered well. Last season was great and we hope he can continue improving."

115 combined number of lengths from Bristol De Mai's four victories at Haydock.

Bristol De Mai was the best of the British when third in the Gold Cup – for which he is a top-priced 50-1 chance –and his campaign could begin at Wetherby on November 2.

Twiston-Davies added: "We're hoping to start him off in the Charlie Hall, although that will depend on the ground. At the moment it is quite decent there which is good.

"We will then go on to the Betfair [Chase], he has done very well in that race in the past few years. We'd look at the same sort of races but we will see how we go. He had a great season last year, we enjoyed the Gold Cup. We're looking forward to seeing him again."

Another of Twiston-Davies's stable stars, Betfair Hurdle winner Al Dancer, is set to go novice chasing and could make his debut over fences at Cheltenham on October 26.

Al Dancer: has been 'schooling really well' ahead of his chasing debutCredit: Mark Cranham

The six-year-old has not been seen since finishing midfield in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and Twiston-Davies added: "I'm looking forward to seeing Al Dancer running, maybe at Cheltenham at the end of the month. We were going to run at Newton Abbot but it was off. He's been schooling really well.

"We're very happy with how things are going, all the young ones are coming on nicely too."

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