Over £52,000 has been raised to support Richard (Sparky) Bevis, who is in intensive care following an accident at his farm.

The 53-year-old, who has been head lad for National Hunt trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies for 18 years, was alone at his farm on Saturday (13 January) when he was injured.

In a statement on a fundraising page set up since the accident, Richard’s son William said: “He was alone at the time and we have no real idea what happened, however as a result he has suffered multiple skull and facial fractures, he remains in intensive care in Bristol Southmead on a ventilator.”

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Richard looked after and rode out the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, and was closely associated with the three-time Betfair Chase winner Bristol De Mai, who retired last year.

“I have set up this fundraising drive so that the racing community can pull together whatever they can afford to try and help my dad, mum and I through this extremely challenging period,” William said. “Please also keep us in your thoughts and prayers.”

The page was set up two days ago, since which time 540 people have donated over £52,200.

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Blaklion, the popular Grade One-winning National Hunt racehorse, was retired from his very successful career on the track in March 2023 at the age of 14.

His illustrious career over fences included finishing fourth in the 2017 Grand National, a win in the 2017 Becher Chase over the National fences at Aintree, plus two more completions in the Grand National in 2021 and 2022. He also won the 2016 RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, which was one of three victories he recorded at the Festival, collecting more than £460,000 in prize-money during his nine-year career.

Blaklion was trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, Phil Kirby and Dan Skelton. He was bought by Darren and Annaley Yates for £300,000 in February 2019, when he was sent into training with Dan and this is where he stayed until his retirement from racing.

Upon Blaklion’s retirement, David Norcross bought the horse from Mr Yates, and he was sent to Lancashire-based rider Alice Pimbley for retraining.

“Blaklion arrived straight from Dan Skelton’s and I started his retraining the following day,” explains Alice, who rides full-time. “He’s got his quirks – he’s a bit nappy and likes to follow other horses, and we haven’t quite nailed canter yet; he can walk, trot or gallop – but he’s a star.”

Last weekend, Blaklion won a novice horse class at a local show at Garstang under Alice.

“There were nine horses in the class and he went beautifully – the judge loved him,” says Alice, who explains that she and her mother Jayne Pimbley are working on training Blaklion to stand better in the ring. “If we can get him standing still, he will sweep the board in RoR [Retraining of Racehorses] classes.”

Alice says that Blaklion “loves hacking and schooling” and since arriving on her yard, they have completed two fun rides with the Cheshire Forest Hunt, where they “jumped all the hedges” and have participated in some showing clinics too.

“He’s so unfazed by everything and he never goes into race mode anymore,” says Alice. “He’s very green with his jumping, but something clicked with him recently and he has greatly improved – he is a careful jumper. He’s fab to ride and a beautiful mover – I wish every horse moved like him!”

Alice is going to do some more showing with Blaklion and she plans to team chase him and take him hunting too.

“I will hunt him with the Holcombe Harriers and I’d love to take him down to hunt with the Ledbury too – we would have a whale of a time jumping their big hedges!”

Long-term, the plan is for owner David’s children to take on the ride on Blaklion, who Alice says David affectionately calls “Mr Lion”.

“All the staff from both Dan and Nigel’s yards are still in close contact with me,” says Alice. “At least one member of staff messages me each day and they are planning to organise a group trip to come and visit us.”

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Hugely popular grey National Hunt horse Bristol De Mai has been retired from racing.

The announcement was made by Simon Munir, who co-owns the 12-year-old with Issaac Souede, yesterday (20 February).

He said: “Team Double Green are announcing the retirement of Bristol De Mai. It has been a privilege to own him. Bristol has been a legend and retires 100% sound and happy. Our thanks to Nigel, Sparky [Richard Bevis], Daryl [Jacob] and all at Grange Farm. It has been a wonderful journey that he has taken us all on!”

Bristol De Mai, who has been trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies for most of the grey’s career, is a three-time winner of the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park and holder of the record for the widest margin Grade One win in Britain and Ireland, when he beat Cue Card into second by 57 lengths in the 2017 Betfair Chase.

Bristol De Mai was bought from France by his current owners as a three-year-old and earned £900,768 in a 42-race career – during which he won 12 times, with Daryl Jacob riding him on 36 of those starts.

Nigel Twiston-Davies said to the Racing Post: “He’s been a star – he’s just been a really brilliant horse. He’s been a great friend to us and done very well over the years.

“To win three Betfair Chases was some achievement – he was one of the best in his era. He was third in a Gold Cup, he started for us at three and he’s retiring at 12. They’ve been nine lovely years. We’re very proud of him.”

Bristol De Mai’s final race came on Saturday (18 February) when he finished last of the 11 finishers in the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase.

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Jockey Ryan Hatch is expected to remain in hospital for the “foreseeable future” after breaking his neck and back in a racing fall on Friday (9 December).

Ryan suffered a heavy fall with the seven-year-old Cogry in the Grade 3 handicap chase on the first day of the International at Cheltenham and was taken to Bristol Southmead Hospital.

The Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) has been providing updates on his condition this week on behalf of Ryan and his family.

“Following his fall at Cheltenham racecourse last Friday, repeat X-rays carried out in Bristol Southmead hospital yesterday have shown that Ryan has suffered fractures of his C6 and C7 at the base of his neck,” said Lisa Hancock, chief executive of the IJF this morning (14 December).

“He has also fractured his sternum and has fractures of his T6, which is just below the shoulder blade. He has a spinal haematoma which is shown to be decreasing.

“It is anticipated that Ryan will remain in Southmead hospital for the foreseeable future.

“Any visitors to the hospital should please contact either Ryan or his father John in advance of visiting.”

He had been booked to ride The New One in the International Hurdle the following day (10 December), but Richard Johnson took over the ride on the eventual winner following Ryan’s injury.

Article continues below…

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So far this season the National Hunt jockey, who is attached to Nigel Twiston-Davies’ stable, has ridden 17 winners — 13 over hurdles and four over fences.

In the 2015/2016 he rode 22 winners, with major wins including the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, held at Aintree during the Grand National meeting, aboard Ballyoptic in April, and the Grade 1 RSA Chase at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival with Blaklion.

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Cheltenham and Aintree winner Baby Run has been retired.

The popular chaser, who is now 14, was retired on Monday (30 December) after finishing 4th in a veterans’ handicap chase at Haydock.

Baby Run has been an important member of the Twiston-Davies’ stable. Owned by Nigel Twiston-Davies, the horse carried the trainer’s son Sam and Willy to special victories.

Sam won the 2009 Champion Hunters Chase at Punchestown and the 2010 Cheltenham Foxhunter aboard the horse, while Willy took the Aintree Fox Hunters’ the following year (pictured).

“He’s done wonders for both me and Willy,” said Sam (pictured below at Cheltenham).

The horse won 10 times in 26 starts and was off for more than 2 years before finishing 2nd in the Becher Chase in December.

Baby Run will spend his retirement out in the field, at home in Naunton, with Twiston-Davies’ other former racing stars Hello Bud and Bindaree.

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Nigel Twiston-Davies is a British National Hunt trainer based in Naunton in Gloucestershire.

Born on 16 May 1957, Twiston-Davies began his career riding as an amateur jockey for trainers Fred Winter, Fred Rimell and Kim Bailey, clocking up 17 winners in total.

Initially Nigel took out a combined training permit that allowed him to continue with his farming interests. He sent out his first winner in 1982 when Last Of The Foxes won at Hereford.

Twiston-Davies took out a full training licence in 1989.

He has trained two Grand National winners – Earth Summit in 1998 and Bindaree in 2003.

Nigel has had 13 Cheltenham Festival winners, including the Ryanair Chase (2009) and the Gold Cup (2010) with Imperial Commander. He trained Baby Run – a horse he also owned – to win the Christie’s Foxhunters in 2010 at the Cheltenham Festival and the horse was ridden by his son Sam.

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The Thoroughbred Rehabilitiation Centre is holding a two-week online auction to raise money for the care of former racehorses.

Auction items include a morning on the gallops with Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, a tour of former top jockey Pat Eddery’s Buckinghamshire stud and ticket packages for Cheltenham, Market Rasen and Haydock Park racecourses.

The auction will be live on the ebay website for two weeks from Wednesday 26 May at: http://donations.ebay.co.uk/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=36831.

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National Hunt trainer and jockey Carl Llewellyn is set to renew his working partnership with trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Carl, who was Nigel’s stable jockey for 18 years, will rejoin the team at Grange Hill Farm in Naunton, Gloucestershire in July after spending three years training at Weathercock House Stables in Lambourn.

The partnership was announced at the opening of a new 52-box barn facility at Nigel’s open day yesterday (Sunday 7 June).

Carl said: “I can’t wait to start. The opportunity to join an already successful and expanding business has come at a great time for me and will enable me to move onwards and upwards. I am looking forward to working alongside Nigel again as he is a trusted friend with the same outlook on life.”

“Nigel will as ever hold the licence, but this is very much a business partnership in every sense with shared responsibilities, and given our combined skill sets and those of the team here we are very much going to be a yard to be reckoned with in the years to come.”

Nigel added: “With our expansion programme moving forward at a pace and the work load increasing, Carl and I have been talking about how we can structure a framework that would enable us to work together again.”

Last week Weathercock House owner Malcolm Denmark announced Oliver Sherwood’s assistant trainer Warren Greatrex will be taking the helm of the Lambourn yard.

Nigel added: “After 79 winners in three successful seasons at Weathercock House it was a surprise to me when I learned that there seemed to be some dissatisfaction in the camp. Afterall, to win races including a Scottish National and a Bet 365 Gold Cup during the early years of holding a licence is a return that many a trainer starting out would beg for.”

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