COLIN Tizzard never made a secret of his ambition to win the Gold Cup and he realised that dream last season when Native River got the better of a titanic tussle with Might Bite around the Cotswolds.
The champion will be back for more in just under two weeks, along with a formidable back up team of Thistlecrack and Elegant Escape.
Speaking at his Dorset base on Monday, Tizzard said: “To have three lovely staying chasers rated in the high 160s is everything you want. Gold Cup horses are almost like freaks. You have to look after them and make sure they are all fit and well, but you also need a huge amount of luck.”
Cue Card’s memorable Champion Bumper win in 2010 provided Tizzard with the first of his seven Cheltenham Festival wins and the former dairy farmer expects to have a team of approximately 25 heading for Prestbury Park. Below are the trainer’s thoughts on a selected few.
Native River's stamina came to the fore in last season's Gold Cup Photo: Healy Racing
NATIVE RIVER
9yo ch g (113/11-23)
Indian River - Native Mo
Brocade Racing
He is in good form. He got beat by a good horse at Haydock on his first start of the season and going into the King George, we were concerned about his performance at the track in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase where he was always looking to go out left-handed and he did exactly the same in the King George.
Five fences from the finish in the King George, you thought he was going to be pulled up, but then he stayed on really strongly and, if the race had been another couple of furlongs, he could have been right up with them at the finishing line.
The Gold Cup is a longer race at three miles and two furlongs and the King George is run 56 seconds faster than the Gold Cup, so that obviously brings Native River, with his stamina, right back into it.
We don’t want Cheltenham being quick ground – we want to have it on the slow side. Last year, we only had one run with him before the Gold Cup which he won well. We’ve got two runs into him this year, he’s had a racecourse gallop and you can guarantee that Richard Johnson will want to get out in front and make a pace of it which worked for us last year. It would be nice to have some company for him up front this time around as the more pace, the better.
THISTLECRACK
11yo b g (112/54-32)
Kayf Tara - Ardstown
John and Heather Snook
I think he has as much of a chance as anything else in the race. He is a cracking horse, and he has already won a Stayers’ Hurdle so has proved that he is good around Cheltenham.
He is 11 years old, but he has been lightly-raced in recent seasons. I think Thistlecrack is probably a better horse going left-handed, but keeping him sound has always been the biggest issue and we didn’t race him till he was seven.
He is fine at the moment and won’t do too much more, except for maybe having a school on Wednesday (27th). We thought coming off the bend at Kempton that we were going to win as the only horse who was travelling well with him was Clan Des Obeaux, the rest were beat. We probably didn’t need to kick on as quick as we did at Kempton if we had the race again, but that won’t happen in the Gold Cup.
ELEGANT ESCAPE
7yo b g ( 122-1212)
Dubai Destination - Graineuaile
J P Romans
He has done everything right, is a young, improving horse and off a rating of 162, he doesn’t have to find much to figure in the Gold Cup. When he was second to Frodon the last day, the winner did pick up again in the closing stages, but significantly, we had got caught five or six lengths behind him at the top of the hill and then had to make up those lengths turning in, before his effort just petered out late on.
My immediate thoughts after that was that the Welsh National might have taken a bit more out of him that we first thought. He has had six weeks off since and he looked very good on the gallops this week. His last run was his highest-rated performance. He is a big, strong horse who is doing it at the moment.
VISION DES FLOS
6yo b g (U235231)
Balko - Marie Royale
Ann & Alan Potts Limited
He won the National Spirit nicely at Fontwell last Sunday. We decided to revert back to hurdling after he unseated on his chasing debut earlier this season as he was only a five-year-old at the time. We have run him in all the big two and two and a half-mile hurdles and the National Spirit was his easiest race this term – he travelled supremely well throughout. I’m sure the Champion Hurdle will be run at a frantic pace and he travels well enough to run in those two-mile races, so we wouldn’t be afraid to go for the Champion Hurdle with him.
There are probably at least five horses higher rated than him in the race, but we will make a decision nearer the time. He is also entered in the Coral Cup, so it is something we don’t need to decide today.
FOX NORTON
9yo b g (11/12P-23)
Lando - Natt Musik
Ann & Alan Potts Limted
I thought he ran a lovely race in the Ascot Chase and he might be slipping under the radar. He jumped a bit flat and sometimes he has a little bit of back trouble, so he had to have a little bit of medication in his pelvis.
I think the Ryanair Chase is the plan at the moment. It all hinges around whether Altior lines up in the Champion Chase, so we will keep the door open for the time being. Ascot was his second run back and he was much calmer. He was only beaten a couple of lengths by Waiting Patiently which is good form. I think he is more of a two-and-a-half-miler, and ground-wise he is probably better off on softer ground.
KILBRICKEN STORM
8yo b g (11313-16)
Oscar - Kilbricken Leader
A Selway & P Wavish
He was very good with Elixir De Nutz, Master Debonair and Native River in a racecourse gallop at Wincanton last week. He finished right upsides them and he has come out of that fresh as a button. We started off this season going novice chasing and he was alright at Ffos Las first time up, but at Newbury he ran no sort of race and he had to have six weeks off.
Since we’ve started back, he has been very straightforward and he runs in the Stayers’ Hurdle too. He won the Albert Bartlett quite easily last year and I’ve been very happy with him. I’m not too worried about him not having a run over hurdles this season as he’s had two runs and a racecourse gallop, so we just have to hold our nerve a bit.
WEST APPROACH
9yo b g (6P-3P522)
Westerner - Ardstown
John and Heather Snook
He is a decent horse and he has finished second to Paisley Park the last twice. I’ve been pleased with both of those runs and we will sit on the tail of Paisley Park this time around. He has plenty of pace for a three-miler and if we could cover him up a bit then he would have a good chance in the Stayers’.
ELIXIR DE NUTZ
5yo gr g (16-F2111)
Al Namix - Nutz
Terry Warner
He is in good form. He was absolutely brilliant in a gallop at Wincanton last Monday.
We could have another little away day, but we might leave him be as he looks very fit. His form stands up to anybody else’s in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He pulls quite hard and goes well from the front, so we will be making the running on him.
LOSTINTRANSLATION
7yo b g (72-2312)
Flemensfirth - Falika
Taylor & O’Dwyer
He was second to Defi Du Seuil at Sandown last time and that is good form. Whatever he does this year, I see him as a Gold Cup horse for next year - he is more about stamina than speed, but the JLT Novices’ Chase is going to be the target this year. He was slightly done for speed at Sandown, but that won’t happen at Cheltenham because there will be plenty more horses in the race and the stamina should come into play a bit more.
MISTER MALARKY
6yo ch g (320-1311)
Malinas - Priscilla
Wendy & Malcolm Hezel
He has been a revelation over fences and is rated 148 so he is good enough to run in any of the big novice chases, including the RSA. The ground was quite quick at Ascot the last day when he won, so hopefully the ground will be softer at Cheltenham. He jumps very well and is a thorough stayer.
The owners are interested in the RSA. He is also in the National Hunt Chase over four miles, but all of the leading Irish amateurs usually have rides for the big Irish trainers, so finding the right jockey for the amateur race is definitely something that comes into play.
We had exactly the same conversation when Native River ran in the four-miler and Mister Malarky is similar in that he is a horse who stays very well. It might come down in the end to whether we can get a top amateur on Mister Malarky and if we can’t then the RSA could be where he ends up.