'He looks very special' - I Like To Move It set to tackle International Hurdle

Greatwood Hurdle winner I Like To Move It will bid to complete a big-race double at Cheltenham on Saturday to make Nigel Twiston-Davies the joint most successful trainer in the Unibet International Hurdle (2.25).

The five-year-old defied top weight of 12st at the November meeting when an impressive five-and-a-half-length winner of the prestigious handicap hurdle, and will attempt to provide Twiston-Davies with successive victories in the race after he landed it with Guard Your Dreams last year.

Twiston-Davies also won the Grade 2 with The New One in 2013, 2014 and 2016, as well as with Khyber Kim in 2009, and will draw level with Nicky Henderson at the top of leading International Hurdle trainers list with six successes should I Like To Move It win.

"He has done everything right and hopefully he's our next The New One. He looks very special," said Twiston-Davies. "Last time out he was giving 11lb to the runner-up and beat him five lengths while the third horse was 18 lengths behind, so it was pretty impressive.

Nigel Twiston-Davies: 'Hopefully, he's our next The New One'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"He is very similar to those that have won the race for me in the past in that he is a good work horse and he does things with the minimum of fuss. Hopefully, he'll be good enough for this."

The Anne-Marie and Jamie Shepperd-owned gelding also finished runner-up in last season's Betfair Hurdle before disappointing in the County Hurdle over course-and-distance, but Twiston-Davies is not concerned about returning to the New course with his star.

"He was beaten in the County Hurdle last season not because it was on the New course, he'd simply done enough that season. He just didn’t shine on the day and we just drew a line through it," he told Jockey Club Racecourses.

"A small field won’t be a problem as he made all in the Greatwood, and he could do it again and make his own pace.

"He'll go chasing next season as he jumps his hurdles like fences. It's that old cliche that it's a bonus what he's doing now and he's only five."

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