Joint-trainers Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies enjoyed a profitable weekend as their exciting novice hurdlers Masked Man and Un Sens A La Vie both registered impressive victories, signalling their potential as future stars for the Naunton-based operation.

Friday's Chepstow Winner Sets the Tone

The promising run began on Friday at Chepstow, where Masked Man made a winning debut over hurdles in the 1:57 novice hurdle. Sent off the 7/4 favourite, the five-year-old justified market confidence with a commanding 12-length victory over Blue Carpet, with Doctors Hill finishing third.

The performance marked an encouraging start to the novice hurdling campaign for the Twiston-Davies team, setting the stage for Monday's equally impressive display.

Un Sens A La Vie Follows Suit at Market Rasen

Un Sens A La Vie added to the stable's tally on Monday afternoon at Market Rasen, overcoming a couple of sketchy jumps to score decisively in the 2m½f maiden hurdle under Sam Twiston-Davies. The five-year-old, who had won a bumper at the Lincolnshire track in February, pulled clear after the last to win by seven and a half lengths.

"It's a relief more than anything," Willy Twiston-Davies said after the race. "This was a nice starting point because Sam was adamant the ground would be safe for him. We think he's very smart and we just wanted to get a run into him before he goes off to Cheltenham."

Despite sticky jumps at the fourth-last and second-last flight, Un Sens A La Vie demonstrated his class to win comfortably, with Sam Twiston-Davies reporting that his mount hadn't needed to exert himself fully.

Cheltenham on the Agenda

The victory has earned Un Sens A La Vie comparisons with stablemate Masked Man, and the trainers have mapped out an ambitious campaign that mirrors the route taken by their successful novice Potters Charm last season.

"We'll see what the entries are like for the Showcase meeting as Sam didn't think he had much of a race today, but the original plan was to go for the Supreme Trial at the Paddy Power meeting," Twiston-Davies explained.

The long-term plan involves a trip to the Cheltenham Festival before potentially targeting the Grade 1 Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree, following the successful blueprint established by Potters Charm.

High Hopes for Potential Star

Un Sens A La Vie has been regarded as a standout prospect at Grange Hill Farm for some time, with the trainers taking a patient approach to his development.

The trainer was quick to place Un Sens A La Vie alongside Friday's winner in the stable hierarchy: "We've got a seriously nice bunch of novice hurdlers and he'd be right up there with Masked Man."

The double took the joint-trainers' record to six winners from 21 runners in the last fortnight, an impressive 29 per cent strike-rate that reflects the stable's strong form heading into the autumn campaign. The success at the Welsh racing festival over the weekend further underlined their prowess with novice hurdlers.

Un Sens A La Vie was their only runner on Monday, making the journey to Market Rasen worthwhile as he maintained his unbeaten record over obstacles.

With both horses showing considerable promise and Cheltenham firmly in their sights, the Twiston-Davies operation appears to have assembled a formidable team of novice hurdlers for the season ahead. Whether either can emulate Potters Charm's success remains to be seen, but on the evidence of their recent performances, both Masked Man and Un Sens A La Vie look capable of making their mark at the highest level.