COLIN Tizzard believes he has a strong team for Cheltenham and paraded his stars for the media last Wednesday.

He also revealed that Robbie Power would have first call on all his horses who run in the colours of the late Ann and Alan Potts.

“Robbie Power is the first jockey for the Potts horses, or we can use Bryan (Cooper), or if he is busy in Ireland we can use whom ever we like.

“I think we have some good chances in the novices’ races, while Cue Card will run a big race in whatever he goes in. I think we have better chances this year than last year.

“We seem to be in better form this season – we redid the gallop over Christmas. It had got wet and dirty, with no spring left in it. So we took all the woodchip off and redid it. The horses are working better since then. Some of my staff definitely think it has made a difference.

We had nine Grade 1 successes last season, which was unreal, but we are going better this season as a racing yard with our lovely, young horses. We are winning with a lot of different horses and most of the Grade 1 races are yet to come.”

FOX NORTON (FR)

FORM: (/11233331/112211-12P)

He missed the Game Spirit at Newbury earlier this month as he had pus in his foot. After he ran in the Tingle Creek, he was lame in his back, the same issue he had after the Game Spirit last year, so he had to have cortisone injections. He has a slight kissing spine. He’s got issues in his back and he had it after the King George where he didn’t jump at all, but he’s absolutely fine now.

I expect we’ll go for the Ryanair, unless Altior scares everyone off in the Champion Chase and then we might take him on. Altior does look the business, but you must not run away from one horse.

Our horse nearly won the Champion Chase last year when we were supposedly out of form. All of the jockeys last year were looking for Douvan, but forgot about the horse in front who they thought would stop [Special Tiara]. Well, he didn’t and we gave him eight lengths going to the last and made up six lengths.

Fox Norton is probably as good over two miles in a championship race as he is over two and a half-miles. The race to run in is where we think the easiest opposition is.

CUE CARD (GB)

FORM:/15112/312/4452/4111F1/43121F2-F22

Despite everything that has been said over the last three months, he looks to me as good as he has ever been. I watched a recording [of the Ascot Chase] and he was only half a length down when he definitely got interfered with. I am not taking anything away from Waiting Patiently, who won on merit on the day.

I think Cue Card will improve massively for the Ascot race and whether he goes for the Ryanair Chase or the Gold Cup is not decided yet. We don’t need to decide yet.

Cue Card is in his ninth season and it is amazing that he has maintained his form like he has. You have got to say he ran to some of his best form on Saturday - he beat the others like Frodon and Top Notch out of sight. We have felt over the last three years that he is better over three miles. There is no reason why we shouldn’t go for the biggest race - is that any harder to win than the Ryanair? Possibly, yes.

NATIVE RIVER (IRE)

FORM: 3116F19/3113321/21113-1

We wondered last season if, by going for the Hennessy, then going on to the Welsh National and then the Denman Chase, maybe we had taken the edge off him so he wasn’t approaching the Gold Cup in the best of form.

He’s a lot stronger this time around, he’s in great form and we had him ready from Christmas. The manner of how he won at Newbury was equally as good as he’s ever been. The Gold Cup is the hardest race of the season, they go flat out. The big, strong stayers usually win - horses like Sizing John who can travel and have pace at the end also win, but usually the best horse wins the Gold Cup.

We had Native River ready for Newbury - we didn’t want him to get tired, or injured and we wanted him to do himself justice so he was ready for that. He is bound to improve for that run, every horse does, and we’ll see if he has a nice clean run to Cheltenham and how much he has to improve to win the race, but he is absolutely lovely at home.

ELEGANT ESCAPE (IRE)

FORM: 2/114577-22121

This is a lovely, young horse and we’re leaning towards the RSA Chase with him but, if a top amateur came up, we might think about the National Hunt Chase.

FINIAN’S OSCAR (IRE)

FORM: 11112/1132P

Finian’s Oscar was pulled up in the Cleeve Hurdle and he was making a noise, so we’ve had his palate done. We schooled him this morning and I’d say he will wear blinkers and go for the JLT Novices’ Chase.

His jumping all season has been suspect, but that’s what we’re likely to do. When he ran, most of our horses weren’t running well, but we’ve come through that.

VISION DES FLOS (FR)

FORM: (1-3421)

There’s not many novices that win a listed race by 31 lengths as he did at Exeter.

He’s obviously a decent horse and hopefully he’s in the same form at Cheltenham. He had his wind done and he’s got options at the festival.

WHITE MOON (GER)

FORM: (5F-1117)

He was sore behind when he got beat at Sandown and had to have a month off. He’s absolutely fine, he schooled this morning and is a lovely, big chasing type. He’ll go for the Ballymore or the Albert Bartlett, but I think he is more of a three-miler.

AINCHEA (IRE)

FORM: (212F)

He just wasn’t ready to run last year, so we ended up roughing him off in March. We ran him in a bumper first time out this season and he almost won. He then won at Sandown. I think he’s a gorgeous horse and he’s progressing. With everything about him, he shouldn’t really be doing what he’s doing. He’ll probably go in the two-miler (Supreme) or the two and a half (Ballymore) as he’s not slow. We might try and keep the novices apart a bit and I think he could be a bit of a surprise package. What he doesn’t do is stop and you do need a stayer for the Supreme.

SLATE HOUSE (IRE)

FORM: (5/1-1145)

We’ll go to the Supreme with him. He is a lovely horse who will make a lovely chaser next season. We haven’t raced him much in the last two months as we are targeting Cheltenham, Aintree and perhaps Punchestown.

We’d like to think we will have a go at running in at least two Festivals with him, maybe even three.

We want to win the big races so we’ll start at Cheltenham in the Supreme, then we’ll go for Aintree and then see if he’s still ready for Punchestown. He needs good, spring ground.