TERRIFIC TIZZARD
COLIN TIZZARD, who sends all of his 300 dairy cows to Sedgemoor market tomorrow in order to concentrate solely on training horses, was milking it on the track yesterday.
Elegant Escape was the highlight of the trainer’s four-timer when landing the
188Bet Future Stars Intermediate Chase at Sandown in the hands of Tom O’Brien.
Victory looked unlikely after the gelding dived at the last fence but on landing he found a fine turn of foot to hold off Thomas Patrick.
The six-year-old is now the
7-1 favourite for next month’s Ladbrokes Trophy.
Terrefort, one-time antepost favourite for Newbury, has eased to 12s after finishing last of the four runners.
Nicky Henderson, the trainer of Terrefort, reported that the gelding finished lame behind.
Joe Tizzard, representing his father Colin, said: “Elegant Escape ticks a lot of boxes for the Ladbrokes Trophy – we have talked about that race for six months – and he’s very similar to Native River, who won the race in 2016.”
Tizzard and O’Brien kicked off the meeting by taking the 188Bet Mobile Hurdle with Eldorado Allen.
The former French-trained gelding came home like a horse with an exciting future. He received a 33-1 quote from Coral for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Kilbricken Storm, the winner of the last season’s Albert Bartlett at the Festival for Tizzard, survived a late scare to win on his chasing debut at Ffos Las.
The seven-year-old, who put in a mixed round of jumping to lead for most of the contest, saw off a late surge from Cobolobo in a photo finish.
Tizzard said: “His jumping wants to be polished a bit.”
Buckhorn Timothy was the fourth Tizzard success of the day, also at Ffos Las.