River adds to Tizzard Gold Cup options
EVERYTHING trainer Colin Tizzard touches is currently turning to gold and he now has three strong contenders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March after Native River dug deep to land the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.
Tizzard has Cheltenham Gold Cup possibles to spare, including recent Cheltenham winner Viconte De Noyer.
But his other two main hopes are Cue Card, who won last Saturday’s Betfair Chase for a third time, and Thistlecrack, last season’s champion staying hurdler who landed his third novice chase on yesterday’s Newbury card with an easy eight-length win in the Worcester Novices’ Chase.
Native River, 7-2 favourite, had to call on his deep stamina reserves to first rally strongly and haul in ultimate 50-1 third Double Ross before holding off the last-ditch thrust of 25-1 runner-up Carole’s Destrier.
Native River was a first win for champion jockey Richard Johnson on his 13th ride in the historic handicap chase being run under the Hennessy banner for the 60th and final time before Ladbrokes step in as the new backer.
Dorset-based Tizzard said: ‘Native River is a stayer but he might just be a bit better than that. If he is in the same sort of form in March, he’ll join Cue Card and Thistlecrack in the Gold Cup.’
Tizzard, who has now won big races for the last four Saturdays, completed a Newbury treble when Ultragold won the Bet365 Handicap under Tom O’Brien and he has now moved into second place in the trainers’ title race behind reigning champion Paul Nicholls.
Reflecting on his purple patch of form, Tizzard said: ‘I’ve got all the toys at the moment, haven’t I? Long may it last.’
While Cue Card has the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day in his sights, Thistlecrack, who had been considered for that race, now looks like running in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on the same card.