Colin Tizzard Stable Tour

Beaufort West
6 b g Getaway – Blessingindisguise
I’ve always liked this horse, so much so we ran him in the Supreme at Cheltenham last year. After a poor run at Chepstow on his seasonal debut he had his wind operated on and it seems to have done the trick. First time back he won easily at Chepstow and then last week he won as I had hoped. He didn’t beat much, but you can only beat what is in front of you. I hope after that run he is going to be high enough to get in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Copperhead
6 ch g Sulamani – How’s Business
He’s a lovely horse to train and has done nothing but improve with each run over the past two seasons. Last year when he was novice hurdling he went up through the ratings with two nice wins at Exeter and Sandown, while this season he’s just got better and better. He won a handicap chase nicely at Wincanton at the start of December and over the Christmas period he won a good Newbury staying handicap off a 9lb higher mark that has since been raised a further 11lb. We are now looking to step him up in class at Ascot’s next meeting in the Reynoldstown Chase. If all goes well then he’ll go to Cheltenham for the RSA Chase, where he could be an interesting contender. I’m very hopeful there is more to come from him and we’ve certainly not seen the best of him yet.

Eldorado Allen
6 gr g Khalkevi – Hesmeralda
He won at Sandown on his first run for us and then picked up an injury after unseating at Aintree the following month. It was almost 400 days later that he returned to action at Sandown last month. He finished a very encouraging second to Mill Green off a mark of 145 and as a result went up 7lb for being second. We ran him last weekend in the Listed Contenders Hurdle at Sandown where he finished third to Quel Destin. The heavy ground certainly didn’t help but I think that’s as good as he is. He’ll go handicapping now and I would be disappointed if we couldn’t find him some winning opportunities.

Elegant Escape
8 b g Dubai Destination – Graineuaile
A cracking stayer, he won the Coral Welsh National 14 months ago and is currently on a career-high mark, despite not winning since that day. This season he’s run well in all three outings, notably when third to De Rasher Counter at Newbury in the Ladbrokes Trophy. We think he’s a pure stayer and the further he goes the better. His next run will be in the Gold Cup and it would not be a big surprise if he was placed. As for ground – well he seems to act perfectly well on any jumping ground.

Elixir De Nutz
6 gr g Al Namix – Nutz
He joined us last season and had a fantastic time winning three on the bounce, including the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle. He didn’t run again after then until December at Cheltenham, where he ran okay but he was disappointing next time out at Kempton. We thought he had a breathing problem so we had his palate cauterised and I hope that has been a help. I suppose if he runs well now we will say it was the operation but we don’t really know for sure. I hope he’ll run more like his old self next time out – either in the Betfair Hurdle or the Kingwell. As for Cheltenham and further down the line, I won’t make any plans until I see how he runs next time.

Fiddlerontheroof
6 b g Stowaway – Inquisitive Look
He didn’t join us until October but has quickly settled in well and made quite an impression. On his first two runs he finished second behind Thyme Hill and Edwardstone and then everything fell into place on his third run when he beat Arrivederci at Sandown in December. He just seemed to thrive after that so we took him back to the Esher track for the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle next time, which he won like a real star. It was great for the yard to win the race for a second successive year and this fellow really did look good. He’s had four runs now and I don’t need to give him another before Cheltenham, where his most likely target is the Supreme, although he’ll also get an entry in the Ballymore. However, there are a lot of very good Irish novices for that race so I think we might swerve that and go for the Supreme, where he would have to be one of the leading players. He’s progressing all the time and he is a very exciting festival runner for us.

Harry Senior
6 b g Oscar – Surf Like A Lady
We’ve a very strong hand among the novice hurdlers this season and Harry Senior is one that figures among that number. After three good placed runs over hurdles he opened his account at Chepstow in December on heavy ground when powering away over 2m4f. That extra distance clearly played to his strengths and he progressed nicely after that, so much so that we took him to Cheltenham for a Grade 2 on Trials day, where he put in a terrific effort to beat King Roland, going away at the line. I thought that King Roland had it won approaching the last but Harry shot up the hill. He’ll have entries in all the novice hurdles at Cheltenham and we’ll leave our options open until closer to the time, but it looks like 3m would be no trouble to him as he stays so well.

Highest Sun
6 b g Sunday Break – Highest Price
He’s been coming up against some smart opposition this season finishing third to Champ and second to Pym, so it was good to get his head in front at Plumpton before Christmas. I was disappointed last time at Warwick as I expected a much more enthusiastic run. We had him checked out and there was nothing wrong, so we are hoping he can bounce back, but they are not machines you know.

Kilbricken Storm
9 b g Oscar – Kilbricken Leader
He’s a good solid horse who had surgery on his breathing in October. I thought his latest run, when not far behind Paisley Park in the Cleeve wasn’t too bad. He would be better off in a handicap but I know his owner is keen to see him run in the Stayers’ Hurdle next month. He has ground to make up on the champion but I feel he’s coming back to his best and he could be an each-way player.

L’Air Du Vent
6 b g Coastal Path – Bleu Perle
He started off well for us, winning a bumper at Bangor last spring. He came back with a good run at Cheltenham when third to Champagne Well and we upped him in class for a Grade 2 at Cheltenham’s November meeting but he didn’t run his race. He had been making a noise so we had his wind operated on and he’s back working well again. We’re having to work out now where he goes. He’ll need a run in a couple of weeks and if he’s fine then we will possibly look to Cheltenham, but I won’t rush him. He’ll make a cracking chaser in time.

Lamanver Pippin
7 b g Apple Tree – Lamanver Homerun
I was very pleased with his latest effort in November when defying a big weight to win at Chepstow over 3m. Unfortunately he wasn’t quite right behind after that so we’ve had to take our time. He seems 100 per cent now and we may try and get another run into him or it could be we give him a racecourse gallop. He’s a big, strong horse, definitely improving, and his options would be the RSA or the National Hunt Chase.

Lieutenant Rocco
5 ch g Shirocco – Five Star Present
He came to us from Paul Nicholls in the autumn and straight away he looked a nice prospect. He had been running over 3m in his two point-to-points but I felt he would be better starting off over shorter so we sent him to Chepstow for a 2m4f novice hurdle. His work had been encouraging but I must admit he surprised us a bit how he won, as he bolted up. I am not sure what he beat, but he did it very nicely. His next race will tell us where we are with him and he’s entered up at Exeter this Sunday.

Lostintranslation
8 b g Flemensfirth – Falika
After he won the Betfair Chase at Haydock he was made joint-favourite for the Gold Cup, and rightly so as he was very impressive. I love the way he travelled, the way he jumped and he was barely out of a canter to see off Bristol De Mai. He went to Kempton for the King George after that but he ran a moderate race. I thought Robbie Power did the right thing by not pushing and shoving to come home in fifth. He pulled him up and saved him for another day. Three days later we cauterised his palate and he appears to be in grand form again. In these top races any little faults will be magnified and hopefully we’ve sorted that one out. You never write a horse off with one moderate run and he rarely runs a bad race, so I’m very hopeful of him being back to his best at Cheltenham and if he is then he’ll be a major player.

Master Debonair
6 br g Yeats – Swincombe Flame
He had a little problem with his breathing last year so we had that sorted out in the summer and he’s bounced back to form. After a good second in a Cheltenham maiden hurdle he went to Ascot and won as he liked over 2m. But it was last time out, back at Ascot, that he really impressed me. That was in a Grade 2 where he beat a small but classy field by eight lengths. He’ll have one more run this week at Exeter before he heads to Cheltenham. He was a very good bumper horse and I find that so many of them tend to be 3m horses. He’s got an entry in the Supreme and is in great form so I can’t wait to run him again.

Native River
10 ch g Indian River – Native Mo
What a wonderful warrior of a horse he is and he gave us one of the best moments in the sport when winning the Gold Cup two years ago in that thriller with Might Bite. It was a heck of a set-to and it’s just possible that it left its mark on him as he didn’t win again last season in three runs, although he ran with great credit each time. I brought him back at Aintree before Christmas and although he didn’t beat a big field his jumping was faultless and the times were good. Dickie [Johnson] said he felt the old boy was back to his best, which was what we wanted to hear. He’ll have his traditional Gold Cup prep race this weekend at Newbury in the Grade 2 Denman Chase which he won in 2017 and 2018. With Dickie out of action we’ve put Jonjo O’Neill jnr up and I have every confidence in the young man. The Gold Cup should be run at a good pace as you’ll have Bristol De Mai, Santini and this horse all up front from the off. They’ll need to stay well to win this year and we know Native River stays as long as you like. If he were to win, and I think he has a real good chance, then it would be the Bowl at Aintree after that, but should he be fourth of fifth then we would seriously look at the Grand National as an option. He’d be a very interesting runner in the great race, but first we are hoping he can regain his Gold Cup crown next month.

Padleyourowncanoe
6 b g Nayef – Pooka’s Daughter
With a hurdles and chase rating of 140 I thought his mark of 60 on the Flat looked very fair, so we decided to run him at Lingfield last month, expecting him to dot up. As it was he had to fight to win, but it did his confidence good. He’s not the biggest of horses and jumping fences in heavy ground would not be his forte. We’re looking at the Cheltenham handicaps now.
Reserve Tank
6 b g Jeremy – Lady Bellamy
He had a cracking time last season winning back-to-back Grade 1s at Aintree and Punchestown, each over 2m4f. This term he’s been chasing and managed to win the Grade 2 Rising Stars at Wincanton in November. His subsequent run at Newbury was not quite so good but we’ve had him treated for ulcers since then. He seems in good order again and will have a run, possibly at Exeter on Sunday, before heading to Cheltenham over 2m4f or 2m5f.

Slate House
8 b g Presenting – Bay Pearl
He’s had a very productive and busy time this season since running in a novice chase at Cheltenham in October. He won that off a mark of 135 and has since won the Grade 1 Kauto Star Chase at Kempton as well as a good race at Huntingdon. In between that he fell in the BetVictor Gold Cup at the second-last fence when looking like he had the race. His last run was his only disappointing effort, when Robbie came back in and said he felt flat. Nothing appears to be wrong with him and it’s our job now to bring him back to his best for Cheltenham in five weeks time. He has options in the Marsh and the RSA.

The Big Breakaway
5 ch g Getaway – Princess Mairead
This is a beautiful young horse who has impressed us with everything he’s done. Having won his point last spring he joined us and first time out at Chepstow in November he was an impressive winner over 2m3f. We raised his sights next time at Newbury and he was again very impressive. I had hoped to run him the other day but he knocked the side of his hock when kicking his stable door. He’s fine now but the plan will now be to go straight to Cheltenham. He could run over 2m4f but I think he’s only really getting going at that point in the race and I feel he will be even better over 3m so my thoughts at the moment are that he’s more likely to go for the Albert Bartlett. I do love this horse and think there is much more to come.

Thistlecrack
12 b g Kayf Tara – Ardstown
What a wonderful horse he has been for the yard over the years, giving us some real highs. His Stayers’ Hurdle win in 2016 was very special as was his triumph in the King George. Unfortunately he is not quite sound at the moment and that is it for him for this season. We’ve not retired him yet, but we’re looking after him and waiting to see where we go.

Vision Des Flos
7 b g Balko – Marie Royale
He had his wind operated on last summer and it certainly seemed to help. He ran a cracker first time out when a half-length third to Top Notch at Aintree over hurdles before coming up against Champ next time out over fences. Earlier this month he won a match race very easily at Chepstow, which was very encouraging. He won over 3m but I think he could end up over 2m. Last year he showed plenty of speed and we campaigned him over 2m. He tends to race with the choke out over 3m and runs himself into the ground so we’re still unsure of his best trip. He will have entries at Cheltenham but I want to give him one more run before then.

West Approach
10 b g Westerner – Ardstown
He’s a good old performer who’s been running over fences this season, winning a Grade 3 at Cheltenham’s November meeting under Robbie Power and then finishing a good third back there in December behind Cogry. He was pulled up when last seen in the Welsh National, but might run again in the next fortnight and then we could possibly revert to hurdles for another crack at the Stayers’ Hurdle next month. He’s been placed in the Cleeve Hurdle in the past – third behind Unowhatimeanharry in 2017 and he would be an interesting each-way option on his best form.

Best Cheltenham hope: Native River