Colin Tizzard’s stable has been more cold than hot at the Cheltenham Festival in recent seasons. The final afternoon in 2018, when Tizzard saddled Kilbricken Storm and Native River to win the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle and the Gold Cup in consecutive races, was probably the crowning moment of his career. The stable drew a blank in both 2017 and 2019, however, and that double supplied the only winners from Tizzard’s last 67 runners at the meeting.
Lostintranslation, the Betfair Chase winner, is the current fourth-favourite for the Gold Cup and expected to run a big race but the stable’s novice hurdlers could also be major contenders, both this year and at several more Festivals to come. Joe Tizzard, the trainer’s son and assistant, talked through their team at the yard’s annual pre-Festival media morning on Monday.
Fiddlerontheroof (8-1, Supreme Novice Hurdle): “He’s been in outstanding form this season and we’ve kept him fresh for the Supreme [his win in the Grade One] Tolworth. A bit of rain this week would suit him as he’s a big, strong boy who can handle the softer ground. I think he has a great chance, especially if the ground is on the slower side. It’s the first race of the week, we didn’t have a winner last year and the year before we had to wait until the Friday, and it becomes a long week [so] I wouldn’t mind getting one on the board early doors.”
The Big Breakaway (8-1, Ballymore Novice Hurdle): “He’s a gorgeous horse, he’s the only horse in our yard who hasn’t been clipped this year, he’s had that [summer] coat all year round. We bought him at Punchestown and he was a stand-out, he cost a lot of money but he’s done nothing wrong at all. It’s a big ask for a horse on his third start under Rules to go and win at Cheltenham [and] obviously there is also [the 6-4 favourite] Envoi Allen in there, but he’s a very talented horse with a lot of ability and an exciting future. Robbie [Power] is in love with him and so are we. We’ve got some lovely novices this year and this is one of the most exciting. He’s got a lot of raw talent. He’s had a point-to-point and two runs and not shown any signs of inexperience so far.
Copperhead (13-2, RSA Chase): He’s been so progressive this season. He won the Reynoldstown [at Ascot] last time, after handicaps at Wincanton and Newbury. He jumps, he stays, he’s very straightforward and relaxed. We’ve had a lot of conversations about which race to run him but Dad and I are leaning towards the RSA [instead of the National Hunt Chase]. He’s got the pace to handle it and if he takes another step forward, he’d have a massive chance [and] he’s going to improve again next season.
Slate House (16-1 RSA Chase, 20-1 Marsh Novice Chase): He’s got form over two-and-a-half but won the Kauto Star [at Christmas] over three, so he might drop back to two-and-a-half if the ground is a bit slow. His last run, he was trying to take on Gold Cup horses and Robbie got to two out and realised he wasn’t going to win, so he pulled up without bottoming him up the hill. He’s come out of it well, his coat’s coming through and he’s a really nice horse on his day. We’ll probably leave him in both and make a decision on the ground.
Lostintranslation (13-2 Gold Cup): “The season was going perfectly after [his win in the Betfair Chase at] Haydock but the wheels fell off a bit [in the King George] at Kempton. I can’t say that we actually found a specific reason for it, but we have tweaked his wind and he has had a soft-palate operation since. He hasn’t missed a beat since [and] we haven’t lost any faith in the horse. He has cracking form at Cheltenham, he won the Dipper [Novice Chase] and finished second in the JLT [last season]. He bounces off that nice ground as well and you can see him travelling really well in a Gold Cup. There is always the question mark of the extra couple of furlongs up the hill that takes some getting but, if we got some genuine good-to-soft ground, I think he could travel into it and be bang there at the last.
Cheltenham Festival stat(s) of the day, by Paul Ferguson
Twenty-five of the past 30 winners of the Champion Hurdle had won on their previous start. Arriving at Cheltenham in form is important, especially given that nowadays many of the leading contenders tend to avoid one another. Like an earlier ‘Stat of the Day’, this would be a negative for Pentland Hills, who was beaten at Haydock last time.
BONUS: second stat (that we didn’t use on Monday...)
Horses who had their prep run for the Festival at Huntingdon are 0/128 during the past 17 years, the last winner being The Bushkeeper back in 2002. Of the 128, 17 were sent off at 10-1 or shorter and this is something to bear in mind for both Shishkin (Supreme Novice Hurdle) and Phoenix Way (Pertemps Final), both winners at the Cambridgeshire venue last time.
The Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide 2020, written by Paul Ferguson, is published this week and available through this link for £15.95.
Exeter: 2.00 The Jitterbug, 2.30 Fortescue, 3.00 Ballybreen (nap), 3.30 Jack Valentine, 4.00 Celma Des Bois, 4.30 Demopolis.
Newcastle: 2.20 Bonny Houxty, 2.50 Epsom Des Mottes, 3.20 Kings Eclipse, 3.50 Bingo D'Olivate, 4.20 She'sasupermack, 4.50 Drenagh.
Southwell: 5.00 Moveonup, 5.30 Tigray, 6.00 Going Native, 6.30 Parallel World, 7.00 Cape Greco (nb), 7.30 Puchita.
