Imperial who? Forgotten horse wins Gold Cup

CHELTENHAM, England (Reuters) - Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who won a first Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday with Imperial Commander, has never been one to blow his own trumpet. Not even after two Grand National triumphs.

After his first Grand National success with Earth Summit in 1998, Twiston-Davies told BBC television in front of millions of worldwide viewers that he did not do interviews. The joke momentarily shocked the startled presenter.

Twiston-Davies, who trains just 19 kms from Cheltenham racecourse, was slightly more forthcoming in the aftermath of Imperial Commander's victory which deflated the pre-race hype surrounding the showdown between former winners and stable companions Kauto Star and Denman.

Kauto Star fell and Denman, despite a valiant effort, could only chase the victor in vain up the notoriously tough finishing hill. In a race billed as "Round 3, The Decider" between Kauto Star and Denman, Imperial Commander landed his own knockout blow in style.

The lack of pre-race interest in his horse surprised Twiston-Davies.

"There was absolutely no pressure on us at all. Nobody had hardly even asked about the horse," he told a news conference, sitting alongside winning jockey Paddy Brennan.

"We don't like shouting our mouths off but we couldn't understand... We hoped we'd beat Denman...Kauto Star cannot do it every year can he? So it proved today.

"How can our horse be so forgotten? But I love it...I'm the forgotten man, I hope you'll all forget me again after today," he added to much laughter.

Asked if this was the race he wanted to win above all others, Twiston-Davies again joked. "Obviously we wanted the Grand National more than anything else but having done that twice it's boring isn't it?

"This is the Olympics of jumps racing and we have won it and thank goodness. You can't beat the Grand National but this is good for the CV."

FAMILY DOUBLE

Twiston-Davies's concentration then wavered as he switched his attention to the one television set in the interview tent and watched his son Sam secure a family double by winning the Foxhunters Chase on Baby Run.

Asked which victory had given him the greater pleasure, Twiston-Davies said: "To be dreadfully honest it would have to be the Foxhunter -- I'm hugely proud of Sam who rode a beautiful race. This win takes the biscuit."

To complete a fairytale day, Twiston-Davies and Brennan also won the final race of the four-day festival, with Pigeon Island.

Brennan, who teamed up with Twiston-Davies at the start of the 2007-08 season, hailed Imperial Commander's performance.

"It's unbelievable, He's some horse. The pace was strong and in a Gold Cup you need everything to go right.

"I saw Kauto Star make the (initial) mistake out of the corner of my eye but (fellow jockey) Paul Townend told me he was still there. That's all I thought Kauto Star needed to do...make one mistake because there was no fluke about Haydock (when Imperial Commander was narrowly beaten by Kauto Star in November)."

Irishman Brennan said Twiston-Davies had got the best out of him as a jockey.

"I'm not an easy person to work with on a daily basis. If I'm not winning I'm not happy," he said.

"But what Nigel does for me you cannot buy. He makes me feel like I'm the best. Some days I'm probably not the best but he still tells me I am."

(Editing by Clare Fallon)