13 January 2023 , 18:19
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Nigel Twiston-Davies is getting a laugh from his newest horses by naming them after classic British sitcom characters.
The trainer has recruited his very own home guard with a cast of horses drawn from the unforgettable 1970s TV series Dad’s Army and Porridge.
Twiston-Davies has run eight members of his platoon of young horses so far with more names to follow. “It was my secretary Lynne Merson who started it,” said Twiston-Davies. “We had a horse by Soldier Of Fortune that we wanted a name for.
“We considered all sorts of options before Lynne came up with Sergeant Wilson and off we went from there. We’ve done a lot of Dad’s Army characters and have moved onto Porridge now.”
Sergeant Wilson has been joined by Uncle Arthur, Corporal Jackjones, Private Pike and Mavis Pike while Norman Fletcher, Mr Mackay and Mr Barrowclough have been inspired by the Ronnie Barker prison comedy.
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“Mr Mainwaring wasn’t available and we liked Norman Stanley Fletcher but weren’t allowed that one.”
All the horses have been sourced by Twiston-Davies, starting in bumper races in his ƒscolours in the hope they can be sold on.
Sergeant Wilson is a character in Dad's ArmyBoth Sergeant Wilson and Mr Barrowclough have been bought by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede since making winning debuts.
“I very much hope they have promising futures - the name didn’t put them off anyway,” said the trainer.
“Mr Mackay was second on his first run and then fourth in a Listed bumper at Cheltenham so there is nothing wrong with that. Norman Fletcher was second on his first run at Ffos Las, Mavis Pike was fifth on her first run.
“I breed and buy horses in order to sell on to make some money. We are all fans of these sitcoms but it was Lynne who came up with the idea. I still have some more to name..