Tizzard ‘hit for six’ by Thistlecrack injury
Setback was a blow, but trainer still has a host of Cheltenham chances, says Marcus Armytage
Colin Tizzard admitted that ruling Thistlecrack out of the Timico Gold Cup with a minor tendon injury this week initially “hit him for six” but, 48 hours later, he was over it and now looking forward to preparing Native River and Cue Card for the race.
“I thought I was stronger than that,” he said. “We’ve had disappointments before. Any setback is galling and it’s no different for me, but the good part is nobody has died, he is sound as a pound. You wouldn’t see which leg was wrong now, we haven’t busted him. We can enjoy what he’s done and move on.”
At least, as Tizzard pointed out, leaning against what used to be a milking parlour when he was solely a dairy farmer and is now accommodation for stable staff, he still has two others, the first and second favourite.
“You’ve got to be chuffed with that. You spend a lot of time and other people’s money trying in the hope of unearthing a Gold Cup horse. It’s come together brilliantly. ”
He suggested that after his impressive win at Ascot last Saturday the only reason Cue Card was not favourite was because of his age. “He should have won that race, but he was right back to his very best,” he said, adding that the reception had moved him.
“He was fluid and sharp. If he was a seven-year-old you’d say he was just approaching his peak. It’s a competition to jump the fences and gallop three and a quarter miles and last year [when he fell three out] he didn’t.
“There is tremendous pressure on me, the owner, the horse and jockey, and hopefully he [Paddy Brennan] will sit and wait this time. The horse has done everything but win the Gold Cup. Last year I wasn’t disappointed, the horse came back in, I cleaned the mud out of his ears and I quietly thought he might have gone, but he hasn’t. He’s still winning Grade Ones aged 11. It’s what we strive for.”
If that sounds like a bias in favour of Cue Card, Tizzard was equally effusive about the ‘young pretender’ Native River. “If he won I’d feel the same,” he said. “We’ve had him since he was four. He has a long, raking stride, longer than any other horse we’ve got. He can handle any ground, stays and jumps and we saw gears we didn’t know he had at Newbury the other day. He is in the form of his life.
“There’s no way I want one to win more than the other – may the best horse win, but there are 10 or 15 wanting to do the same. They need to be right on their game.”
That would also apply to his other big festival chances, including Finian’s Oscar in the Neptune Hurdle. “A lot of horses win the Champion Hurdle after winning the Neptune, so it’s no good thinking we’re going there taking on slower horses,” he said.
Tizzard is keeping West Approach’s option of the Stayers’ Hurdle open, although he is one of the favourites for the Albert Bartlett. “He’s improving, we wouldn’t have to find much with U now ha time an harry and there could be a few rising stars in the other race. John Snook [owner] has never been afraid to aim high so it’s 50:50,” he explained.
The much improved Royal Vacation received a very encouraging mention for the RSA, while Tizzard likes the chances of the well-handicapped Sizing Codelco in the Brown Advisory. Grand Vision will wear cheekpieces for first time in the Foxhunters and has an each-way chance. If a few of those come home with red rosettes, Thistlecrack’s injury really will be a distant memory.