BACK to that man Tizzard again and his welcome honesty in front of the camera.

Last week, he voiced what a few others might have thought on the late Alan Potts’ decision to appoint Bryan Cooper as rider of his British-based horses.

“I’m chuffed for Bryan as he’s been under pressure and there’s pressure riding for us. Alan decided he [Bryan] was going to ride all the horses in England and I went along with it, but if I had my choice it might not have been.

“But he has come out on Friday and given Finian’s Oscar a brilliant ride, and he was brilliant today – no-one could have ridden him any better. We can fill him up with confidence as he’s a good jockey and we can put it out of our mind.”

Of course, horses being horses, Sizing Tennessee hit him a low blow yesterday.

This new role could prove a turning point for Cooper. It is easy to forget that, after winning a Gold Cup and numerous big prizes, his first Cheltenham success was in 2013 when he burst on the scene with a brilliant three-timer. He missed most of the next year after a fall on the Wednesday of Cheltenham and he has ridden at just four Festivals.

Similar to Ruby Walsh, Cooper has taken his share of stick on social media in recent years. His riding of Finian’s Oscar showed a wise degree of caution. Cheltenham’s second-last fence was moved into the straight to reduce the number of fallers but it remains a tricky fence – Charbel came down in the Arkle last season. On Friday, Cooper, perhaps learning from Sizing Tennessee who fell there at the October meeting, allowed his mount time to negotiate it himself, and waited until after the last before relaunching his challenge.

Riding the hooded Fox Norton for the first time, Cooper was again pretty much faultless.

Confidence is a great thing when you are young – it gets you places. Cooper went into those places pretty fast. If something goes wrong, confidence can take a knock, and being young can then be a hindrance.

You listen to too many people, think of reacting instead of just acting. Remember Davy Russell and Barry Geraghty both said jump jockeys are at their best in their 30s. In racing, loss of confidence can put you on the floor, finding it again can gain you lengths.

Tizzard’s fears appear to have been banished. With effectively no owner to please, this could be the best thing that has happened - though Sizing Tennesse is off the Christmas list.