by Keith Melrose, betting editor
One of racing’s biggest success stories of the past decade is the emergence of the Colin Tizzard stable. Since a Cheltenham Festival first with Cue Card in 2010, the Dorset yard has progressed to become a powerhouse in the jumping game – pocketing a Gold Cup, Stayers‘ Hurdle and two King Georges to name just a few – and the class of 2020 looks full of future stars.
Plenty of the talking horses at the big sales in the last few years are under Tizzard’s care and the latest recruits include expensive point-to-point standouts Rose Of Arcadia, Killer Kane and Shirocco’s Dream.
In the last ten years, the Tizzard team have notably excelled with staying chasers both at the top level and in big handicaps. Native River and Thistlecrack return once again, while there is plenty of faith in Lostintranslation after his Cheltenham Gold Cup third.
Many eyes this year are on The Big Breakaway, who looks the most likely to be the next three-mile chasing sensation from Venn Farm. He begins his novice chasing campaign next week.
Although the yard has a leading hand in almost every division, Tizzard believes they just lack the numbers to give Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls a trainers‘ title challenge. The ambition is certainly there but Tizzard would be happy finishing third and hitting the million-pound mark in prize-money for a sixth successive season.
The depth of this year’s team and the stable’s rise to fame is credit to all members of the Tizzard family, and none more so than Colin’s daughter Kim Gingell, who sadly died in May. Kim was known for her relentless work ethic, huge passion and unwavering devotion to maintaining exceptional standards in all areas at the stable. She was not just a huge part of the team, but a mum, sister, daughter and much-loved member of the racing community. Kim will always be remembered in all the successes to come.
Behind the scenes, Colin’s son Joe is continuing to shine as the pair share the job of training more than 120 high-quality racehorses at Venn Farm. Dual licences were introduced earlier this year and that option is under consideration.
Colin reflects: „Losing my daughter through cancer and in Covid times was tragic. She was diagnosed with cancer and died three weeks later. It prompts you to say life is so precious and I feel as if I need to be letting Joe take on more and more rein. He’s a young mind and is confident. I think there’s a very good chance Joe’s name will be on the licence sooner rather than later. It’s a slow transition for him taking over.“
Cue Card’s Cheltenham win started an incredible ten years of prolonged success at jump racing’s top table. But the dedication of Kim – and all of the Tizzard racing – will remain an enduring hallmark of the stable’s rise to become one of the biggest and most successful in Britain.
Rival to watch I think the most impressive horse I’ve seen this year is McFabulous. He was very good in the Persian War.
Race in focus The Ladbrokes Trophy is always a big race for us and we’re targeting it with Copperhead. He looks our main one, but Mister Malarky could go well too.
Stable profile
Yard Venn
Farm Stables
Where Milborne Port, near Sherborne, Dorset
Trainers Colin Tizzard, Joe Tizzard
Assistant Chris Wald, Amanda Hibbs
Travelling head lad Ritchie Young
Jockeys Robbie Power, Jonjo O’Neill Jr, Harry Cobden, Richard
Johnson
Conditionals Harry Kimber
Started training 1995
Horses in yard 125
Members of staff 40
Secretaries Pauline Tizzard, Debbie White
Website colintizzard.co.uk
Twitter @colintizzard
Stable sponsor Coral
Winners in Britain
2019-20 61
2018-19 77
2017-18 79
2016-17 57
Profit/loss to £1 stake
2019-20 -£131.00
2018-19 -£127.89
2017-18 -£159.35
2016-17 +£8.75
Total prize-money 2019-20
£1,216,570
Horses:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | V | W |
Ainchea
Seven-year-old gelding
Flemensfirth (sire) – Lady Petit (dam)
Owner: Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
Form figures: 12F/977-
Racing Post Rating: 136 (hurdles) Official rating: 128 (hurdles)
He’ll go novice chasing. He had a big injury two years ago and we ran him a few times last season. He was making a bit of a noise, so we’ve done his wind and hopefully that will help. He’s got a bit to prove if he’s going to be anywhere near as good as he was as a young horse.
Amarillo Sky
4g Westerner – Bag Of Tricks
JP Romans & Taylor, O’Dwyer
1- (point-to-point)
RPR 93p
We’ve got some nice point-to-pointers in this year and they’ve all worked well but we know we’ll find out a lot more about them when they run. This one was impressive in his maiden with Colin Bowe and we bought him from the Cheltenham Festival sale. He’s a nice one to look forward to.
Ambion Hill
5g Getaway – Vertality
OCR Wynne & Mrs SJ Wynne
66374-0
RPR 106h OR 108h
He was slightly disappointing last season but hopefully he can take a step forward. I think he’s an out-and-out two-miler and we’ll drop him back in trip after his run over 2m5½f the other day. He’s a big, strong horse and we’ll look to go chasing with him soon, when I think we’ll see the best of him.
Autonomous Cloud
4g Flemensfirth – August Hill
Terry Warner & The McNeill Family
Unraced
He’s a lovely young horse but is still a baby and probably won’t be out before Christmas. He’s a gorgeous, big horse and will make a fine chaser in time. He looks great and is well bred too, as his dam was placed in a Grade 3 novice chase. I think we’ll stick to bumpers with him this season and look forward to him in the future.
Beaufort West
6g Getaway – Blessingindisguise
Taylor & O’Dwyer
2P/011-8
RPR 130h OR 128h
We were happy with his first run this season in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow, which looked a competitive race. He shaped as if he had half a chance two out but then he just stopped a bit. We tried him in that same race last season and it didn’t work, but then we did his wind, which helped him as he went on to win two novice hurdles on heavy ground. I imagine we’ll go chasing with him now and hopefully he’ll be a bit better over fences.
Dark horse
Bold Conduct
6g Stowaway – Vics Miller
JP Romans & Terry Warner
1/ (point-to-point)
RPR 94p
He won his only point-to-point but hasn’t raced for us yet as he had a bit of leg trouble when he came here, so we were careful with him. I don’t imagine he’ll be out until we get proper winter soft ground. He’s a gorgeous, big horse and he’s exciting – he could be the dark horse of our lot really. He seems to be training right and his homework is exciting, so we’ll look for a good novice hurdle and we’ll try to get a few runs in. He’ll make a nice chaser in the future.
Born In Borris
6m Arcadio – Honour Own
RM Harvey-Bailey
1-3
RPR 112h OR 128h
She ran well at Chepstow at the start of the month and we’ll try to get her out again before we lose our novice status, even though she’ll carry a penalty. I think after one more hurdle run we might go chasing. She jumps ever so well and is a big mare. She’s rated 128 but we’d like to think she can improve another 10lb or more when we switch to fences.
Bourbali
3g Sinndar – Saintheze
Pope, E Legg, M Green & T Swaffield
24
RPR 91h OR 104h
He’s run twice in juvenile hurdles and has got a rating of 104 now so we’ll look at exploiting his handicap mark with the three-year-old allowance. Although his runs at Plumpton and Chepstow were on quicker ground, he’ll go on softer. We thought he was staying on the last day so we’ll probably try him over two and a half miles somewhere. We’ll start off in a 0-90 and he’s got to win a few races at that sort of level.
Buckhorn George
5g Geordieland – Waimea Bay
The Buckhorn Racing Team
052P1-
RPR 124h OR 124h
He’s a big horse and a real galloper. He comes from a nice family we’ve had success with in the past and for the same owners. He had some good runs last season and he won on his last start at Wincanton. He looked set to win convincingly when hitting the front two out that day but had to battle in the end. It won’t be too long before he’s going over fences as he looks like a chaser for the future, but we may keep him over hurdles to start with.
Carrick Roads
6g Robin Des Champs – Jay Lo
Brocade Racing
421/65-2
RPR 114c OR 115c
He’s good on his day and has a track record at Bangor on good ground. We’ve had quite a few little troubles with him but he ran well at Fontwell at the start of the month. I hope we’ll have him back out in the next fortnight before the rain comes.
Captured My Heart
4g Geordieland – Woodland Retreat
Ian and Claire Gosden
Unraced
He’s got a lovely pedigree and we like him. He’ll be starting out soon but he’s still a big baby, one for the future and less of a sharp horse.
Champagne Mesdames
3g Diamond Boy – Olerone
The Wychwood Partnership
Unraced
A nice three-year-old whose dam is a half-sister to Sizing John. He’s only just been broken in and is cantering gently. We may look to run at the end of the season but he’s miles off at the moment.
Christmas In April
8g Crillon – Similaresisoldofa
Swallowfield Racing
21131P-
RPR 143c OR 137c
He’s a lovely prospect for big staying handicaps but he won’t be ready for about a month. He looks an ideal Welsh National horse as the trip, track and ground are perfect for him. We think we’ll try to start him off in a little race over three miles as a pipe-opener before going to Chepstow. He progressed all through last season and it was a case of the further he went the better he was. You can forgive him his last run in the Midlands National as some of ours weren’t right at the time. He’s a big, strong horse and he could be a Grand National horse for us later in the season – one more win and he’d get in.
Copperhead
6g Sulamani – How’s Business
Mrs GC Pritchard
1/5111F-
RPR 158c OR 153c
His first big target is the Ladbrokes Trophy and he certainly fits the profile for it. We think we’ll need a run before that, so we might go to Carlisle for the Colin Parker Memorial, which we won with Lostintranslation last year. That’s back at two and a half miles but he’s not slow and the four-week gap between Carlisle and Newbury is ideal for him. He’s a big, smart horse who improved loads last season, going from moderate form in bumpers and over hurdles to become an impressive Grade 2 novice chase winner, and he seems a bit stronger again. He’s 20lb away from becoming a Gold Cup horse – and every horse has their ceiling – but he’s still only a six-year-old and he did look very good last season. We’ll see how far he can go.
Darlac
7g Lucarno – Pail Mel
Mrs GC Pritchard
34F5-F2
RPR 135c OR 127c
He ran well the other day when he was second at Hereford and we’ll have some fun with him this season at those small tracks. He’s nicely handicapped and I think he’s best over three miles to something up to 3m5f. He could stay a bit further and we may have a look at some of those West Country regional nationals.
Earl Of Wisdom
5g Flemensfirth – Golden Sunbird
The Wychwood Partnership
9-
RPR 78b
He’s had one start for us back in April 2019 at Fontwell and he missed all of last season. He won’t run until the ground is soft.
Star quality
Eldorado Allen
6g Khalkevi – Hesmeralda
JP Romans & Terry Warner
1U/230-1
RPR 147c OR 146c
He looked really impressive when he won at Newton Abbot this month. He jumped like a stag and was foot-perfect all the way apart from missing the last. He had us very excited two years ago after he bolted up at Sandown but then he got an injury in a freak accident at Aintree. Last season he started off very well again but then didn’t quite go on real heavy ground and was behind at Cheltenham. When he came back this year I hardly recognised him as he’s developed into a huge, strong horse, and he was working on one of our gallops and beating everything without breaking sweat. He’s a class animal and I’m sure he’ll be going to the Grade 1 tracks. I think we’ll look at the November meeting at Cheltenham, then the Henry VIII going back to Sandown. He’s our best two-mile novice chaser by a long streak and you’d like to think he’ll end up in the Arkle.
Elegant Escape
8g Dubai Destination – Graineuaile
JP Romans
6-236P0
RPR 167c OR 160c
The Grand National is his big target this season. We might look at running him over hurdles first but it’s difficult to place him without giving him a hard race. We’re looking at getting him ready for the Becher Chase in the first week of December as we want to give him a good spin over the big fences and hopefully then have a real good crack at the Grand National – John Romans is keen too. He’d then have one run before Aintree.
Elixir De Nutz
6g Al Namix – Nutz
Terry Warner
2111/77-
RPR 148h OR 146h
He disappointed last year and we’re not really sure why. He tanked in his races and the season before he’d won three novice hurdles including the Grade 1 Tolworth. He had an injury and we think he just struggled a bit after that. He’s back now and we’ll go novice chasing with him. He came back in early to make sure we gave him a proper preparation. He’s a strong horse and has clearly got ability, so he could still be anything over fences. He’ll likely begin the season at two miles as he seems to be quite a powerful horse.
Faustinovick
6g Black Sam Bellamy – Cormorant Cove
Taylor & O’Dwyer
/2/236-4
RPR 122h OR 122h
We’ve always thought a lot of him and his form is pretty solid. He was second to McFabulous in a good bumper at Newbury. He’d struggled to see out his first two races when he travelled strongly, so we did his wind. On his next start at Ascot he did the same but he came back with a dirty nose so, while he was really disappointing, there was a reason. He’s a decent horse and he’s at the right end of the handicap. He ran over 2m7½f at Lingfield the other day but I think we’ll have to go back in trip next time, he travelled into the race well.
Fiddlerontheroof
6g Stowaway – Inquisitive Look
Taylor, Burley & O’Dwyer
22110-2
RPR 149c OR 152c
We were really pleased with his run at Ffos Las behind If The Cap Fits. He jumped beautifully, travelled well and it was a good performance behind a horse who was once rated 166. We’re not sure what direction we’re going to go with him in terms of trip but we think he’s a two-and-a-half-miler. He’s strong and is a Tolworth winner on heavy ground, which he seems to handle really well. He could stay three miles in time. I think he’d be out again in a month, which gives us the option of going to Cheltenham for the November meeting or to Newbury a fortnight later for the Berkshire Novices‘ Chase or the John Francome.
Floy Joy
4g Arcadio – The Scorpion Queen
Nigel Hanger & Eric Jones
5
RPR 98b
He’s a big, strong horse and ran a lovely race first time out at Ffos Las last week. Robbie Power said he was good enough to win a bumper after that. I’m sure he’ll make into a nice horse this year.
Fly To Mars
6g Schiaparelli – Patsie Magern
Brocade Racing
62624F/
RPR 125h OR 127h
He missed last season but should be back within a month. The season before that we looked after him thinking he’d be a lovely novice in the future. He probably would have won on his last start at Exeter when he fell. I imagine he’ll go chasing but we might give him a hurdles run just to get him race-fit and have him back on the track first. He’s shown some decent form and if we keep him in one piece he’ll make into a nice chaser.
Fox Norton
10g Lando – Natt Musik
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
1/12P/23/
RPR 174c OR 166c
He’s just cantering at the moment but he’s about to have his work stepped up a bit this week. He’s been in all of the best races and, despite the fact he’s not getting any younger, he’s had some real decent form. He’s been fragile since his brilliant season in 2016-17 when he won at Aintree and Punchestown and was second in the Champion Chase. I’d imagine we’ll look to start him off in the Tingle Creek or the Grade 2 Chanelle Pharma Chase at Ascot in November. We haven’t got a lot of options, but he’s flexible in terms of trip and he hasn’t got too many miles under his belt in the last couple of years. We want to get him racing again, although we expect him to improve for his first run. On his day he’s a very talented horse.
Fulgurix
5g Maresca Sorrento – Union De Sevres
Simon Munir and Isaac Souede
2-
RPR – OR –
He’s a big type who joined the yard in February, never with the intention of running that season. He’s quite a heavy horse with a high knee action, so he’ll definitely want some cut in the ground. He’ll be ready to run as soon as the rain comes. His form works out quite well in France and Daryl Jacob has been in to school him a couple of times and is happy with him. He looks every bit a chaser in the making but he’s an exciting prospect over hurdles in his first campaign.
Furkash
5g Al Namix – Meralda
Swallowfield Racing
3
RPR 101h OR –
It was a nice first run for us the other day in a maiden hurdle at Fontwell. He looked to be staying on well and we were quite pleased with him. We’d like to think he can win next time off the back of that promising effort. A lot of ours are needing their first run, which is no bad thing as there’s a long season ahead of us.
Getaway Fred
6g Getaway – Cloch Anna
Victor and Celia Goaman
2132P-
RPR 130h OR 133h
He’s quite a nice horse and he’s schooled well over fences, so I’d imagine he’ll go novice chasing. He’s a bit of a difficult horse to place at the moment because the 0-135 novice handicap chases are so competitive, while if you go for a straight novice you’d probably have to take on a horse rated 150. Hopefully we can find a race for him as it will get easier and he should progress with another summer on his back. He’s a decent novice prospect this season and you’d like to think he’ll take a step forward from his rating.
Harry Senior
6g Oscar – Surf Like A Lady
Brocade Racing
42211P-
RPR 144h OR 143h
We’ve been really happy with his jumping at home, so he’ll be going novice chasing. His jumping has got better the more work he’s done, which is the good thing about schooling as he’s had a few sessions to really get his eye in. Looking back, we were quite impressed by his win in the Grade 2 on Trials day at Cheltenham. We’ll go at trips over two and a half miles and we may run him in a beginners’ chase at Stratford this week if the ground is right. He’ll be out as soon as he gets his ground.
Highest Sun
6g Sunday Break – Highest Price
Ashley Head
321457-
RPR 144c OR 138c
He was seventh in the novice handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival on his last start. He’s got plenty of ability when it all clicks and he’s a much bigger and stronger horse this season. He won only once last season, so graduation chases are pretty much designed for him. We’ll go back to handicapping after that, but we’re not sure if his optimum trip is two and a half or three miles.
Honest Exchange
6g Gold Well – Final Instalment
Victor and Celia Goaman and Jenny Perry
3-93
RPR 109h
He didn’t run too well at Newton Abbot and was much the same at Wincanton on Sunday. He’s much better than those runs and you know that by his third at Exeter in a novice hurdle in February. You’ll see a different horse later in the season. He’s a nice prospect and a half-brother to Last Instalment.
Investment Manager
4g Nathaniel – Two Days In Paris
Brocade Racing
6
RPR 96b
He was very green on his first run for us in a bumper at Ffos Las the other day. We use bumpers to help teach our horses and he’s a typical one of ours who can improve a lot. He was showing us a fair bit on the gallops last season but he then threw a splint and we never got to run him. When he ran the other day it was the first time he’d been away from here for a while, so I’d expect the run will bring him on massively. He’s a smart horse and Robbie Power said after his run that he’s good enough to win a bumper. We’ll run him in another bumper next but we could go novice hurdling later this season if he goes well. He’s a gorgeous horse and we haven’t lost any faith in him.
Kilbricken Storm
9g Oscar – Kilbricken Leader
A Selway & P Wavish
0/83630-
RPR 154h 140c OR 137h 150c
He’ll go chasing again this season and he’s looking particularly well. We’re still to make a plan with him but everyone has been impressed by how he looks going into the season. Last season he ran in some nice races and he could do well over fences – they go half a gear slower, which is exactly what will help him. He’s not a Cheltenham Festival winner for nothing, he’s got a big engine, and he looks big and strong. As soon as we enter him he’ll be running off his hurdles mark, so hopefully we can get him back to his best.
Killer Kane
5g Oscar – Native Idea
JP Romans & Taylor, O’Dwyer
2
He’s a nice horse and one we’re excited about. He’s a bit of a standout horse with a nice pedigree – he went for £300,000 at the Cheltenham Festival sale earlier this year. He made a positive start when second in a maiden hurdle at Aintree yesterday. He wants two and a half miles at this point.
Lanspark
5g Milan – Sparky May
Ruxley Holdings
Unraced
His dam was a very good horse down in the West Country and she won a Grade 2 and finished second to Quevega in the Mares‘ Hurdle. He looks a nice type.
L’Air Du Vent
6g Coastal Path – Bleu Perle
Brocade Racing
1/375-
RPR 131h OR 130h
We like him and hope he can develop into a good novice chaser this season. He’s rated 133, so we have the options of novice handicaps, but he’s declared to run at Chepstow on Tuesday. He jumps very well and as soon as the ground is right he’ll be ready to go. He was a bit weak last season but he’s filled out now, is a strong horse and has really grown into his frame. We hold him in high regard and he’s got a good rating despite not really showing his full potential. He’s able to climb the ranks and should stay three miles.
Lamanver Pippin
7g Apple Tree – Lamanver Homerun
Dr Donna Christensen
840-413
RPR 143c OR 132c
He won only once over fences in his novice season, so he qualifies for the Future Stars at Sandown a week on Sunday, which will give us three weeks until the Ladbrokes Trophy. That said, we think he could be more of a Welsh National horse as he’s a real stayer and ran very well when third in the National Hunt Chase. He looked quite impressive the time before at Chepstow and when he’s right and gets his ground he’ll be a good staying handicapper. He’s best on soft and heavy ground, so there’s loads of nice options for him throughout the season.
Lillington
8g Westerner – Kind Word
The Colin Tizzard Racing Club
-56132P
RPR 135c 117h OR 123c 112h
He’s fine after his race at Cheltenham but it was a very moderate effort. He’s been a perfect horse for the racing club. He’s won six times for them and has been placed on his last two starts. He handles really quick ground and we’ll try to make the most of that when we can. He’s a solid handicapper who has given a lot of people a lot of pleasure.
Star quality
Lostintranslation
8g Flemensfirth – Falika
Taylor & O’Dwyer
21/11P3-
RPR 175c OR 171c
He had a huge chance jumping the last in the Gold Cup and travelled as well as anything coming down the hill. Our horses were a bit quiet at the festival but the way he ran compared to everything else was massive. We’re aiming him at the Betfair Chase – which he won last season – for his first run but we’ll try to have a gallop somewhere to get him ready. After Haydock we’ll give him another crack at the King George and then his third run will be the Gold Cup, all being well. We’re beginning to ramp up his work with Haydock in our minds. With any sort of natural progression, a bit of luck and having him in peak form, there’s no reason why he won’t be jumping the last in the Gold Cup upsides again. Further ahead, he’s a Grade 1 winner at Aintree, so we’ll look to save a bit of petrol for the Bowl and hopefully Punchestown after that. His owners are keen to go for all of those big-race targets and it’s no surprise that they’re loving life with him.
Dark horse
Master Debonair
6g Yeats – Swincombe Flame
The Gosden Mob & SprayClad UK
05/2113-
RPR 145h OR 149h
We’re going to have a crack at the Champion Hurdle with him. He was a Grade 2 winner at Ascot last season and he’ll probably start in the Elite Hurdle a week on Saturday. We toyed with the idea of a prep race on the Flat at Ascot but the meeting got called off and I’d imagine he’ll go straight to Wincanton. His bumper form was decent and he’s had four good runs over hurdles but we still think he’s totally unexposed. He’s a fast, slick hurdler and we’re looking forward to seeing if he can take that next step now. He’ll need to find a bit on ratings but he’s just coming out of his novice hurdling season, he’s in good nick at home and there’s no reason why he can’t improve again.
Mister Malarky
7g Malinas – Priscilla
Wendy & Malcolm Hezel
2/06P1P-
RPR 156c OR 151c
We’ll aim for the Ladbrokes Trophy again as he didn’t run too badly in it last year. There’s also the Sodexo Gold Cup which we could look at first. He deserves to be in all those good staying handicap chases. He was a better horse after Christmas and looked really impressive when he won a big race at Kempton. There’s no doubt he’ll have his day again and he could turn into a Grand National type.
Mocacreme Has
5g Saint Des Saints – Monika
JP McManus
36-
RPR 103b
He’s a nicely bred type who ran in two bumpers at Exeter last season. He’s a big, scopey horse who is still learning the trade. We haven’t made a plan for him yet but he’ll be a nice one to go novice hurdling with. He should show plenty of improvement when he goes over hurdles.
Molineaux
9g King’s Theatre – Steel Grey Lady
John and Heather Snook
9/70142-
RPR 137c OR 129c
He loves it around Wincanton, with three wins and two seconds, so I’m sure we’ll have to find something back there for him. He’s a solid handicapper and he’ll win a race or two this season.
My Lady Grey
6m Presenting – Wassailing Queen
John Reed
82-1142
RPR 106h OR 106h
Her owner, John Reed, was up here wanting a share in a horse and we offered her to him before the summer to be the first horse he owned outright. She’s since won her first two races for him at Newton Abbot. I think she’ll handle softer ground, so I’m hopeful she can continue the great story.
Native River
10g Indian River – Native Mo
Brocade Racing
1/234/11-
RPR 177c OR 168c
We had one of the wettest winters and the wettest February on record but when Native River ran at Newbury in the Denman Chase the ground was quick. We thought about pulling him out of the race but felt we had to run – and he won – but he picked up a small injury that eventually forced him out of the Gold Cup. It was a big shame because he was in brilliant form. He’s not finished at all and he’s in great form again at the moment. We want to give him two runs before the Gold Cup, and if it’s soft ground there it will help him. There aren’t too many races before then for him anyway as he’d be carrying a stone more if we went back to something like the Welsh National, so we’ll look to go back to the Many Clouds at Aintree, which he won last year. The Grand National isn’t on the owners‘ agenda, everything is geared up to getting him to the Gold Cup. He’s forgotten about a bit but he’s a brilliant stayer – not many horses have finished first, third and fourth in a Gold Cup.
Nelsons Rock
5g Mount Nelson – Neardown Beauty
Middleham Park Racing
P311- (point-to-point)
RPR 92p
He’s the first horse we’ve trained for Middleham Park and it was nice to have a few of the syndicate members down at the yard last week. He’s got some decent point-to-point form – although it’s not the very best – but he could be anything. He’s a good-looking horse and we’re looking forward to running him. He’ll begin the season in a bumper soon.
No Hubs No Hoobs
4g Flemensfirth – Miss Brandywell
Taylor and O’Dwyer
Unraced
He’s a really nice-looking horse. We didn’t run him last season, with this season in mind. He’s a big type who will develop into a three-mile chaser in time and is a brother to a 137-rated chaser called Killer Miller. We’re excited about running him and he’ll probably start off in a bumper.
Numbers Man
4g Arctic Cosmos – Duchessofthehall
The Reserve Tankers
5
RPR 101h
We thought he ran all right in a decent two-mile novice hurdle at Chepstow last time. He came there with a bit of a chance, which was promising on the first run of his career. He came highly recommended by Ross Doyle, so we’ll see how he progresses. He’s made a lovely start and looks like he could develop into a nice handicapper.
Ofalltheginjoints
6g Stowaway – Dinos Luso
The Reserve Tankers
12444-3
RPR 133h OR 132h
He was one of a few we took out at Chepstow as he’s a big, heavy horse who doesn’t want quick ground. We rate him as quite a nice novice chaser for the season and he ran a cracker at Aintree on Sunday when travelling well until the lack of a recent run took its toll going to the last. He was still a bit of a big baby last year but he won at Chepstow and went on to run at Graded level, although his last run at Kempton in February was a bit disappointing. He did have a penalty to carry that day and we thought he was slightly out of form.
Oscar Elite
5g Oscar – Lady Elite
Mrs Mary-Ann Middleton
581- (point-to-point)
RPR 90p
He was a point-to-point winner on his last start and he looks fine. We’re not quite sure how good he’ll be, so we’ll learn a bit more about him when he runs in a couple of weeks.
Padleyourowncanoe
6g Nayef – Pooka’s Daughter
Kevin Corcoran, Aaron Pierce, Chris Weare
8/14-443
RPR 144c OR 137c
He’s been a good boy to have as he can do a bit of everything – he’s won over hurdles, a chase and three times on the all-weather. He ran a nice race at Warwick last time but just jarred himself a bit, so we’re going to give him a big break. He won’t be out this winter.
Pingshou
10g Definite Article – Quest Of Passion
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
22FF-55
RPR 144c OR 137c
He was a Grade 1 winner as a novice hurdler and we’re considering looking at the hunter chase programme with him, although he ran really well in a veterans‘ race at Chepstow a few weeks ago. For now we’ll continue in the veterans‘ races and take a view about where to go next at Christmas. He had wind surgery in the summer and we’ll see if he benefits from that. He’s approaching the end of his career, so we may look at finding a nice home for him, but if he can find some of his old form then maybe he could win a race somewhere.
Premiumaccess
5g Milan – De Loose Mongoose
Taylor & O’Dwyer
85-0
RPR 110h
He won a point-to-point in Ireland before we bought him in the Cheltenham November sale. He’s run well on three starts for us and he’ll get a handicap mark after his run at Lingfield on Thursday. He’s probably a decent handicapper. He’s strengthened up a bit this season and hopefully he can progress from his opening mark.
Rectory Oak
5g Oscar – Betty Roe
Mrs GC Pritchard
2-4
RPR 104b
He missed most of last season through injury but we thought he finished a good fourth in a bumper at Newton Abbot last month. He’ll improve from that and we think he can develop into quite a nice prospect. He’ll be ready to run again soon. He seems pretty sharp at home, so he’ll probably be a two-miler for now and we’ll start him over that trip in a novice. We’ll learn as we go along and get some feedback from the jockeys but he seems a nice one.
Reserve Tank
6g Jeremy – Lady Bellamy
The Reserve Tankers
1/1212P-
RPR 152c OR 146c
He picked up an injury when he ran in the Marsh at Cheltenham and he’ll probably be out until the spring – we thought he was running quite well before he just tweaked himself. He’s just back cantering now. He’s potentially quite well handicapped off 146 – he’s a classy horse who won two Grade 1s over hurdles and a Grade 2 over fences. We’ll try to find something for him at the Cheltenham Festival – probably the Plate or maybe the Ultima – and hopefully we can get a prep run into him before then. He’ll be fine over two and a half miles to three miles and he seems to be at his best later in the season.
Road Senam
4g Saint Des Saints – Madison Road
Simon Munir and Isaac Souede
422342-
RPR 134c 109h
He’s got some cracking form in France, including a second in a Grade 2 chase behind a horse who then won at the top level. He’s only just come over to us and we’ve taken our time with him, but we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do. We schooled him for the first time last week with Daryl Jacob on and he went well. He’s a nice, athletic horse and he’ll be ready in about a month. I’m not quite sure where we’ll start him off but it will be over hurdles.
Rockpoint
7g Shirocco – Tinagoodnight
John and Heather Snook
607/42R-
RPR 136c OR 132c
He hurt his hock when he refused at Cheltenham, so he’ll probably be out until Christmas. He’s only just come back and started doing a little bit of work. We thought he ran well in two novice chases before that. He’s a good horse on his day – he won a Grade 2 round Cheltenham over hurdles – and we’ll look forward to him coming back.
Rose Of Arcadia
5m Arcadio – Rosie Lea
Cheveley Park Stud
1-4
RPR 106h
She ran with her choke out for the first mile at Ffos Las last time and was a bit guessy with her hurdling – eventually she paid the price for it. She’ll improve no end for that run but she needs to settle a bit better. We may try to drop her in next time and teach her a bit more but we’ll give her a little bit of time off before we look for another mares‘ novice hurdle. I’m sure she’ll take a lot of beating wherever that is. We definitely think she’s better than that Ffos Las run as she works very well at home and looked pretty good in her point-to-point and bumper, so hopefully she can translate that to novice hurdles. The mares‘ novice hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is her big target but we’ve got to get her there first – she needs to learn to race and step up on that first run.
Dark horse
Royal Crown
5g Creachadoir – Royal Army
The Wychwood Partnership
424-
RPR 104h OR 108h
He cost £110,000 when he was bought at the Aintree sales and we like him. We thought he was promising in three runs over hurdles last season and we think he’s got a real nice mark. He’ll go novice handicap chasing this season as he jumps a fence really well at home. He should be ideal for those handicaps and two and a half miles will be fine for him. We hope he can climb the ladder.
Royal Vacation
10g King’s Theatre – Summer Break
Jean R Bishop
P/53V4P-
RPR 156c OR 142c
He’s still going for us and has been a good horse for us throughout the years. He’s a ten-year-old now and we’ll be targeting all those veterans‘ races for him, but they’re very competitive. He’s a good chap but he’s a little bit hard to place. Hopefully we can find him a winnable opportunity at some point this season.
Seymour Promise
4g Flemensfirth – Loadsapromise
Mrs Mary-Ann Middleton
4-0
RPR 93b
He’s worked quite well in the last week and we ran him at Cheltenham at the weekend. We were disappointed with the run and he’ll go over hurdles now. He’s fine after the race but he was a 33-1 shot, the bookies work out the form much better than us. He’s surprised us a bit as he nearly won first time out at Kempton in February. He led a furlong out but just couldn’t quite hold on.
Sherborne
4g Getaway – Luck Of The Deise
Sharp, Nicholas & Kennington
Unraced
He’s a beautiful horse and was a standout from last season’s store sales. He’s nicely bred too, being a half-brother to Joe Farrell, who won the Scottish National. He’s only four, so I think we’ll start him off in a bumper and go from there. He’s shown lots of potential in his work including in a racecourse gallop.
Shirocco’s Dream
5m Shirocco – Dream Function
JP Romans, Taylor, O’Dwyer
21- (point-to-point)
RPR 81p
She was second in a point-to-point and then she went one better at that level next time. She cost £260,000 when she was bought from the Cheltenham Festival sales earlier this year. We weren’t the only ones at the sale who thought she was potentially quite good – that’s always a positive. She’s a nice horse and we’re looking at starting her off in a mares‘ novice hurdle at Newbury on November 5. She was a bit big when she came in but has really tightened up now and looks the part.
Shoal Bay
7g Gold Well – Ring Hill
Mrs RJ Skan
27-1351
RPR 141c OR 137c
He won quite well first time out at Southwell to give us a first winner of the season but struggled a bit on his next two starts, so we treated him for ulcers. That seemed to help as he bounced back to win pretty easily at Ludlow at the start of October. It was good to see him back to winning ways and he handles the quicker ground very well.
Sizing At Midnight
8g Midnight Legend – Issaquah
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
945-112
RPR 134c OR 130c
He seems to have turned a bit of a corner this season. I’m not sure how good the race was that he won at Ffos Las at the start of October but he did it well. He ran well again at Exeter on Tuesday, when he was second. Hopefully he’ll continue improving as he’s got a fair bit of experience now.
Sizing Cusimano
7g Midnight Legend – Combe Florey
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
PP/3632-
RPR 124c OR 118c
He’s a big boy who we’ll probably go hunter chasing with. That would suit him, especially if we can get him going in that grade early next year. Hopefully we can end up at Cheltenham with him in the Foxhunter. He’s not won over fences yet but he’s got some decent form over hurdles. Hunter chasing could be just right for him.
Sizing Platinum
12g Definite Article – Quest Of Passion
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
01/F31-4
RPR 156c OR 147c
He ran well on his first start back from a break at Fontwell, where we thought he may want a step up in trip next. He travelled well and looked as if he’d stay a bit further. He’s won a race every season he’s been with us – apart from his first – and we think he can do so again. He’s a bit older now and he might need to drop in the handicap first but we’ll see. He’s got the option of running against the veterans too.
Slate House
8g Presenting – Bay Pearl
Eric Jones, Geoff Nicholas, John Romans
1F11P6
RPR 159c OR 152c
He had a good campaign last season and won the Grade 1 Kauto Star at Kempton. We’re not totally sure which way we’ll go this season – we could go to the Paddy Power Gold Cup, which he fell in last year, but we’re also considering the Ladbrokes Trophy, although he’s not guaranteed to get three and a quarter miles. I think he’ll start at Wetherby on Saturday for the Grade 2 bet365 hurdle, which Native River was second in before he won at Newbury.
Striking A Pose
4g Getaway – Clonsingle Native
I & C Gosden, M Sharp & G Kennington
3
RPR 102h
He was third at Newton Abbot, where I thought he ran a bit green, but he’s a lovely horse. He’ll win a race like that for sure and we can hopefully run him again soon.
Theatre Guide
13g King’s Theatre – Erintante
Jean R Bishop
2/6353-76
RPR 160c OR 137c
He’s been a lovely boy for us for quite a few years – he’s finished placed in the Ladbrokes Trophy twice and won some nice handicaps. This is his swansong season as I don’t think we’ll run him when he turns 14. He ran okay in the veterans’ chase at Aintree on Sunday, so he’ll have one or two more races until we find a new home for him. It’d be nice if we could win with him. It’s difficult to find horses like him at the sales now.
Star quality
The Big Breakaway
5g Getaway – Princess Mairead
Eric Jones, Geoff Nicholas, John Romans
114-
RPR 145h OR 144h
He’s class. He was the best English-trained runner in the Ballymore and the three horses who finished ahead of him were a year older. We consider him a very nice prospect over fences and we’ll start off at Newbury on November 5 in a 2m6½f novice chase, which Lostintranslation started in two years ago. The track and trip look as if they would be perfect for him. After that I’d hope we’d go back to Newbury for the Grade 2 John Francome [November 28] and target the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices‘ Chase a month later on Boxing Day. He’s been taught how to jump before, as he won a point-to-point, so schooling him was basically just a reminder and he does everything lovely. We hope he’ll be a Gold Cup horse one day, which is why we’re going chasing now. His novice form is rock-solid and, while he’s got to go and improve, potentially he’s as good as any chaser we’ve had.
The Changing Man
3g Walk In The Park – Bitofapuzzle
Susan and John Waterworth
Unraced
A lovely, big horse who traded for £135,000 at Doncaster in July. We thought he was the standout of the sale and he’s bred very well, being by Walk In The Park out of a mare who won a Grade 1. He’s only cantering at the minute and he’s a horse for next year, although we might try him in a bumper at some point later in the season. He’s a beautiful looker and an exciting future prospect. It’s nice to have horses like him in the yard.
The Russian Doyen
7g Doyen – Namloc
The Gosden Mob
1514/P-3
RPR 139c OR 138c
He’s a decent horse who finished third over hurdles at Fontwell the other day. That was a nice prep race and he’ll go to the Paddy Power at Cheltenham next. He’s got form round there as he was fourth in the novice handicap chase at the festival in 2019. We think he’s nicely handicapped.
Thistlecrack
12g Kayf Tara – Ardstown
John and Heather Snook
54/32P/2-
RPR 178h OR 160h
We don’t think he’s ready to retire yet – remember he’d only run three times before he was seven – so we’ll have one more season with him. He looked so well in the field and we’ve tweaked the back of his knee, which we’ve done with a few horses in the past, including Native River. If we could get a clear run with him – have about three or four starts – he could still be as good as anything. If it turns out that he isn’t then we’ll stop as he doesn’t owe us anything. It’s not impossible for him to win and we still think he’s a Grade 1 horse. The Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury – which he was second in to Paisley Park last year – would be on his radar.
Vision Des Flos
7g Balko – Marie Royale
Ann & Alan Potts Ltd
35160-U
RPR 154h 146c OR 155h 145c
He’s been a bit disappointing and we didn’t find out anything at Aintree yesterday as he unseated at just the second fence. We’ve done his wind a couple of times as it messes him about a bit. On his day he can be quite good and if we get a nice run with him he could be all right over fences, but he’s not easy to win with. We might look at a graduation chase as he’s won only once over fences – in a two-runner race at Chepstow. There’s also the option of going back over hurdles with him – he looked very good when he won the National Spirit in February 2019 and ran a hell of a race at Punchestown.
War Lord
5g Jukebox Jury – Westalin
The Wychwood Partnership
5/13418-
RPR 126h OR 126h
He won twice over hurdles for us last season at Plumpton and then in a handicap at Taunton. His first run this season could come over hurdles but he’ll soon be chasing as he jumps well at home. We’ll make a decision as to whether we go for novice handicap chases or just novice chases but I’d say he’s more likely to do the latter against a smaller field.
West Approach
10g Westerner – Ardstown
John and Heather Snook
U3P4P-2
RPR 156c OR 147c
He’s getting older but he’s a good handicapper to have. We were delighted with his run at Cheltenham on Saturday, he was second in the same handicap last season. He ran well and if it wasn’t for Frodon he would’ve won. It should bring him on and we’ll go to the November meeting next with him and have another go.
White Moon
8g Sholokhov – Westalin
Brocade Racing
44/FP07-
RPR 145c OR 133c
He’s won only once over fences for us but he was unlucky not to win first time last season as he fell at Wincanton when looking like the winner. He was keeping his back straight when he jumped after that, both over fences and over hurdles, so we had him x-rayed and we’ve spent a bit of money treating his kissing spine. He’s back cantering now and looks magnificent. If he can jump better and bend his back properly he could be a smart chaser. He’ll be ready in early December and we’ll go from there.
Whydah Gally
4g Black Sam Bellamy – Reserve Swing
Sam’s Crew
Unraced
A nice bumper horse for the season who seems to be going well at home. We took him to Larkhill for a gallop last year and were ready to go with him but then everything stopped. His dam won four races and has produced some decent types. He’s as good as any on our gallops, so we’re hoping he’ll win a few races. He’s only four and we’ll start him in a bumper, hopefully before Christmas.
Two for the tracker
Killer Kane has been very good on our gallops and made a decent debut at Aintree yesterday, and Copperhead, who is more established, but one we haven’t seen the best of yet..
Expert analysis
Colin Tizzard sent out 107 horses in 2019-20 and the top seven earners among them were all staying chasers. It is no bad thing, unless you were considering backing him for the trainers‘ championship. Nor is it a surprise to note that the most Paul Nicholls-like of all the yards to emerge in the last ten years excels with three-mile chasers.
Set against that, a curious thing happened last season. More of Tizzard’s talented novice chasers than you might expect proved slap-dash with their jumping- think Slate House, Reserve Tank and Highest Sun. It might well be an aberration and was certainly not a barrier to achievement, given Slate House won the Kauto Star.
Consider those creases, along with a quiet Cheltenham from which Tizzard emerged with no right of reply, and the optimist might predict that his string has more potential to deliver this winter than might be apparent at first glance. The realist would be advised to at least consider the possibility.
The aforementioned Highest Sun and Reserve Tank appeal as having raw ability far in excess of their respective BHA marks. There is also something to be said for latent potential in Christmas In April, given his only bum note of the season came the day after Cheltenham ended in the Midlands National.
War Lord also hit the wall that day, in the EBF Final at Kempton. Before that he had been progressive and, as a half-brother to the yard’s White Moon (another 2019-20 novice whose jumping failed him on occasion) he can keep improving as a novice chaser.
There are more obviously exciting novice chasers in the yard. Tolworth winner Fiddlerontheroof had no answer to If The Cap Fits for speed at Ffos Las but bettered him in jumping and has the stature to improve. That applies even more with The Big Breakaway, whose only attempt in graded company was a respectable fourth at Cheltenham. It is not all about chasers, though, and there is a telltale stat in the yard’s return in bumpers last year. One winner from 13 runners seems to be a drop-off, but remember that the bulk of bumper winners in the preceding seasons had come between February and May. Some of the yard’s best bumper horses from 2019-20 could still be yet to make their debuts.
