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BBC News
11-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'My dad's still the boss' - Twiston-Davies on 'special' family yard
Trainer Willy Twiston-Davies can remember taking the day off school to watch the 2010 Cheltenham Festival when Imperial Commander, trained by his father Nigel, won the Gold Cup. Along with older brother Sam, who is one of the top jockeys in the country, the Festival is a full-on family affair for the Twiston-Davies clan. "I remember it like it was yesterday," Willy told BBC Points West of the 2010 Gold Cup win. "I took the day off school, Sam won the Fox Hunters then Pigeon Island winning the Grand Annual - just a tremendously special day for the yard. Beating Kauto [Star] and Denman being an underdog. He [Imperial Commander] was a very special horse in his day, a bit underlooked, but we were very happy to have him."Former jockey Willy - who won more than 200 races during his career - has been working alongside his father at their yard in Gloucestershire. "Training's always been in the back of my mind since I was a kid, I've watched dad do it for so long," Willy said."Everyone says we're very similar so we don't seem to have many arguments because we usually agree on pretty much everything."My dad is more my best friend, so as we go on he let's me do more and more what I like and we do everything together. Obviously he's still the boss but it's been nothing but brilliant." Willy's involvement has helped the yard grow - they have already broken last year's prize money pot with weeks of the season still to go. "We've had two very good seasons so far, we're lucky we haven't really had a slump," Willy said."I think there's probably been a little bit more pushing to trying to get some horses in. We've already run 60, 70 horses and now we're hoping to get up to the 100, 90 mark," Willy said. Sam added: "It's adding an extra element of hunger because Willie's young and really wanting to stamp his name on it."It helps with dad having Willy there to keep reminding him - 'right, we've got to grow and keep moving' - as so many of these big yards are doing now with social media and getting videos across to owners and that's what Willy's now really helping with."The Twiston-Davies yard will have 10 or 12 horses racing at Cheltenham, including Broadway Boy - ridden by Sam - on Tuesday's opening day of the Festival, Potters Charm and Push the Button. "Families that work together are very special. So hopefully the Twiston-Davies family will be in racing for a long time," Willy said.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Machete attack driver jailed after police pursuit
A banned driver who led police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit while drunk, after earlier attacking a car with a machete, has been jailed for two years and three months. Raymond Tough, 28, "could have killed" people as he sped along residential streets and over pavements in an attempt to evade officers in North Tyneside, Newcastle Crown Court heard. He had earlier smashed the windows of a car and stolen £59 worth of fuel from a petrol station. Tough, of Falmouth Road in North Shields, admitted offences including dangerous driving, possessing a bladed weapon, criminal damage and drink-driving. Tough was caught on CCTV filling a white van with fuel at an Esso garage in Wallsend and then making off without payment at about 09:30 GMT on 28 December, prosecutor David Robinson-Young said. About two hours later, Tough went to a woman's home and threatened her before pulling a machete out of his trousers and smashing the windows of her car causing £1,200 worth of damage, the court heard. Police were on the lookout for him when officers spotted him driving his white Fiat Scudo van near the Fox Hunters pub in North Shields shortly before 15:00. He refused to stop and instead drove off, with two sets of officers both abandoning pursuits due to his highly dangerous manoeuvres, Mr Robinson-Young said. These included driving at more than 60mph along a 20mph road busy with pedestrians, forcing his way through traffic, going the wrong way round roundabouts, mounting pavements and ignoring red lights, the court heard. He was arrested at his home later that day and found to have 67mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the driving limit being 35mcg. The court heard he was banned from driving at the time for earlier motoring offences and this was the tenth time he had been caught behind the wheel while disqualified. He was also free on licence at the time having been jailed for arson, the court heard. Judge Carolyn Scott said it was "hard to think of a worse example of dangerous driving" and it "could easily have resulted in someone being injured, if not killed". She said he had an "appalling" record for motoring offences and banned him from driving for five years and one month. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@ HM Courts and Tribunals Service
BBC News
27-01-2025
- BBC News
North Shields driver jailed for machete attack and police pursuit
A banned driver who led police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit while drunk, after earlier attacking a car with a machete, has been jailed for two years and three Tough, 28, "could have killed" people as he sped along residential streets and over pavements in an attempt to evade officers in North Tyneside, Newcastle Crown Court had earlier smashed the windows of a car and stolen £59 worth of fuel from a petrol of Falmouth Road in North Shields, admitted offences including dangerous driving, possessing a bladed weapon, criminal damage and drink-driving. Tough was caught on CCTV filling a white van with fuel at an Esso garage in Wallsend and then making off without payment at about 09:30 GMT on 28 December, prosecutor David Robinson-Young two hours later, Tough went to a woman's home and threatened her before pulling a machete out of his trousers and smashing the windows of her car causing £1,200 worth of damage, the court heard. 'Appalling' record Police were on the lookout for him when officers spotted him driving his white Fiat Scudo van near the Fox Hunters pub in North Shields shortly before 15: refused to stop and instead drove off, with two sets of officers both abandoning pursuits due to his highly dangerous manoeuvres, Mr Robinson-Young included driving at more than 60mph along a 20mph road busy with pedestrians, forcing his way through traffic, going the wrong way round roundabouts, mounting pavements and ignoring red lights, the court was arrested at his home later that day and found to have 67mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the driving limit being court heard he was banned from driving at the time for earlier motoring offences and this was the tenth time he had been caught behind the wheel while was also free on licence at the time having been jailed for arson, the court Carolyn Scott said it was "hard to think of a worse example of dangerous driving" and it "could easily have resulted in someone being injured, if not killed".She said he had an "appalling" record for motoring offences and banned him from driving for five years and one month.
