Colin Tizzard Stable Tour ahead of 2019 Cheltenham Festival
Colin Tizzard guides us through his Cheltenham Festival squad including a high-class trio bidding to give the trainer back-to-back Gold Cup victories.
Big three going for Gold
Native River
He was beaten by a very good horse at Haydock. We were just a bit worried about his form right-handed going into the King George as he'd been well beaten there as a novice a few years ago and five out you'd have thought he was going to pull up. But he stayed on really strong and at the line you'd have to say he'd have been right up there with them (Clan Des Obeaux and Thistlecrack) with another two furlongs to run. So the Gold Cup is three miles, two furlongs and the King George is a fast three miles. He was alright in his away-day at Wincanton last week but he's never won a gallop in his life. He looks fit to me now and I don't think he'll go away again. We'll school him this week for a bit of practice and then hold our nerve. Hopefully Cheltenham gets some rain as nobody wants it fast ground for the Festival and there's no doubt softer conditions play to Native River's strengths as it slows the others down a little bit. He's had the two races before Christmas and he's had his racecourse gallop. It'll be lovely if Frodon runs too to give him some company up front in a Gold Cup. Presenting Percy is obviously a good horse but I think it's quite an open year and there's no absolute standout and it always comes down to stamina - Native River has plenty of it.
Elegant Escape
He's won a Welsh National and he was second in the Ladbrokes Trophy before just being touched off by Frodon the other day in the Coltswold Chase at Cheltenham. He's done everything right, he's a young improving horse and we've seen horses lower than his rating (162) go very close and even win Gold Cups. I think in the last five strides Frodon actually found a bit more last time, he picked up again when Elegant Escape nearly got to him, but we got five or six lengths behind him at the top of the hill and we made up that ground turning in which was good for a real stamina horse. My immediate thoughts after that were that the Welsh National maybe just left its mark in the closing stages but he's had six weeks or so now and he's looked very good on the gallops. He's the younger horse and the one who might just step up again. His last run was his highest-rated run and there should be more to come.
Thistlecrack
Thistlecrack is a very good horse and he always walks around looking the part. He's won a King George and he was quite close to Clan Des Obeaux at Kempton this year. He looks to have as good a chance as anything and he's proven at Cheltenham going left-handed. He was magnificent when he won the Stayers' Hurdle, he's 11 years old now and you can't get away from that but he's hardly raced until he was six or seven.
The 'forgotten' duo
Fox Norton
He's slipping under the radar a bit and he'll most likely go for the Ryanair Chase. I thought he ran a lovely race at Ascot, he just jumped a little bit flat. Sometimes he has a bit of back trouble but we've addressed that and he seems well. It all hinges around Altior really but we have the option and Fox Norton nearly won the Champion Chase a few years ago. Ascot was his second run back and he'd been full of himself first time out. I think he's more of a two and a half mile horse but the Champion is a good test too. Ground-wise, he's better on softer.
Kilbricken Storm
He's a bit of a forgotten horse. But he was very good [in work] against Elixir De Nutz, Master Debonair and Native River, for a three miler, he was right upside them. We were going to go novice chasing with him, first time up he was alright, then not so good second time and so we were sort of split. He’s had six weeks off and since then he’s been straightforward. He’s had a Wincanton gallop and, people can crab the form, but he won the Albert Bartlett quite easily. He backed it up at Punchestown so it wasn’t a one-off. He was good at Wincanton. We took six up there and he’s the one you’d take out of it. He’s in good form.
Rising stars
Elixir De Nutz
He's won his last three races and we took him to Wincanton last Monday where he did a brilliant piece of work - he pulled five lengths clear. We could give him another away-day before the Sky Bet Supreme but we might just trust ourselves. He looks hard-fit to me and his form stands up to anybody's in the race. He pulls quite hard but goes well from the front, he's a strong front-runner and won't stop so the race will suit him. There's no confirmed jockey yet but we'll see if Harry Cobden is available. Tom O'Brien did a magnificent job on him at Sandown anyway.
Rockpoint
He could be a little bit underestimated going into the Albert Bartlett but he's clearly got quite a few pounds to find on the form he's shown so far. He has course winning form which is a plus and I think he'll stay well. He has the option of the EBF Final at Sandown the Saturday before Cheltenham and if it comes up soft then he might go that route over two and a half miles.
Lostintranslation
I keep looking now and wondering whether we should have had him in the three-miler (RSA Chase) but when the entries went in he was so good over two and a half. He's just a lovely chaser and he's got form around Cheltenham. I'm sure they'll go a good pace and hopefully he'll jump off handy. We're hoping we'll have him around as a Gold Cup horse next year as he's not short of stamina. Barry Geraghty did us for speed after the last (on Defi Du Seuil) and that won't happen at Cheltenham as it was just a four horse race. The pace will be stronger and hopefully the stamina will kick in more. He's definitely one for the future.
Mister Malarky
He's been a revelation over fences, he was a nice hurdler too but he's gone from around 120 up to 148 as a chaser so he's good enough to run in any of the big ones. He's good enough to run in the RSA Chase but Robbie Power thought he was flat out at Ascot the other week. The times were fast from Ascot though and he jumped really well. He's a thorough stayer but the owners may just be leaning towards having a crack at the RSA. The four-miler at the Cheltenham Festival, all the big Irish amateurs are likely to be riding for Irish trainers so it can be tricky to get the right man. We had the same conversations before Native River ran in the four-miler - some people say it's the easier race but I'm not sure as some good horses run in the race and go on to be great three-milers the following year.
Champion hope keeping busy
Vision Des Flos
He's been a lovely horse and if he hadn't unseated Tom Scudamore at Ffos Las in his first novice chase then I'm sure he'd still be chasing now. But we decided he's still a young horse and had time on his side. So we've run in all the big two, two and a half mile hurdles. On Sunday he probably had his easiest race (won National Spirit Hurdle) and he travelled supremely well. I'm sure the Champion Hurdle will be run at a frantic pace and wouldn't be afraid to ride him up with the pace as he stays further. There are four or five in there that are higher rated but we'll see. He's also in the Coral Cup but we have time to make a decision.
Oh Brothers, where art thou?
The Russian Doyen
He's probably not quite up to Graded class yet but the Close Brothers' Novices' Handicap Chase looks the obvious target. He's won two of his three chases and he just hit the first fences at Cheltenham when he went there and got beat. He's a beautiful horse and he's growing still. This is the best and biggest I've ever seen him and he's still on the improve.
Molineaux
He got beat on Friday and I couldn't believe it as I thought when they came out of the fog he'd be five lengths clear but he wasn't. We've entered him in a couple of races this weekend and he might go to Newbury with the aim of picking up a penalty to get him into the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase as I seriously doubt he'll make the cut otherwise. That's the plan anyway. It won't hurt him to keep racing and this time of year on better ground you can get away with it. If he's fit and well we won't be leaving him in his stable.
Slate House
He's looking a bit big and he may end up being aimed more towards Aintree. He needs a good run somewhere but he's in the Close Brothers too. He did break a bone in the back of his knee so was a bit slower getting going this time around.
Click here to place your Cheltenham Festival bets with Sky Bet...
The young Master
Master Debonair
Won at Cheltenham and was second at Cheltenham this year in bumpers. We’ve purposely held him back after three bumpers as he’ll have three this spring again. His dam came second to Annie Power in the mares’ race at Cheltenham. He’s well bred, he’s won two of this three bumpers, he was very good in the gallop at Wincanton as well. He doesn’t need to do anymore, he goes for the Champion Bumper. Next year he’ll go the Supreme route, that’s what we think of him.
Best of the rest...
West Approach
He’s decent and has been second to Emma’s horse (Lavelle, Paisley Park) the last twice. He’s been chasing but he jumps a bit too high over fences and loses too much ground. Over hurdles, twice we’ve had a go at Paisley Park and got quite close to him at Ascot and not quite so close at Cheltenham, but he did beat the rest. Next time we’re going to find out where Paisley Park is at Cheltenham and sit on his tail. Last few times he’s sat off us and done us properly but it would be lovely just to sit and bring him later on. He’s got plenty of pace for a three miler. If we can just cover him up a bit we’d have a chance.
Russian Hawk
He got beat at Ascot the other day but he's a fantastic looking horse for chasing next year. He's done nothing wrong really, he's only rated 133 but we might run him in the Albert Bartlett. The owners are keen to run him in the handicap at Sandown the Saturday before Cheltenham (EBF Final). Ideally he wants a stamina test and softer ground would help him. If it comes up soft or heavy then Sandown might be the place to go.
Ultragold
We've had this brainwave just this week that he might run in the Cross Country Chase. His main target is the Grand National and this race has been a good prep for some horses in the past. We've run him at Cheltenham for the past two or three years and it's not quite happened before he's gone on to do really well at Aintree. He's in the Ultima too but he'll be put in the Cross Country and we'll take him out to school him. He'll be entered in the Topham at Aintree as well but the National is the plan. He's just so much better over the National fences than elsewhere.
Cyrus Darius
He’s been disappointing since we got him. He’s entered, but he’s had ulcers, he looked big and strong and then he got lean on us, so we checked him for ulcers and he had them. So there’s been an excuse for him and he’s entered this weekend. If the ground is safe enough he might run, he’s a very good horse and we’ll have a go at some Festivals with him, it’s just a case if we get him right.
GET THE FULL PICTURE: Don't miss out on FREE video replays and our fantastic My Stable tracker. Log in now and become a Sporting Life Insider.
Related horse racing links
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
