Native son is suddenly all golden for Tizzard

GOLD CUP threat Native River threw down the gauntlet to stablemate and favourite Thistlecrack after a three-and-a-halflength win in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury.

On a card where Altior, Ballyandy and Tobefair also enhanced their Cheltenham Festival cases, Native River added a fresh dimension to his challenge for the biggest prize at the meeting.

Wins this season in the Hennessy Gold Cup and Welsh National for the Colin Tizzard-trained seven-yearold had shown Native River had the stamina.

But pulling clear of Le Mercurey and listless favourite Bristol De Mai under Aidan Coleman, who replaced flu victim Richard Johnson, showed Native River was not just a onedimensional slogger.

Tizzard said: ‘In both the Hennessy and the Welsh, he has gone eight lengths clear five fences out and only just held on. So we said we’d wait until two out.

‘He has sprinted away. He is not just an out-and-out stayer. He has pace. It was lovely to see. You wonder if that gear is there and it is.’

Thistlecrack is 6-4 favourite for the Gold Cup but most bookmakers have trimmed Native River’s odds and he is now generally a 4-1 chance.

If the Gold Cup is looking a contest to savour, the Arkle Novices’ Chase is a gimme for Altior. He is now a 1-3 shot after brushing aside Fox Norton in the Game Spirit Chase.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Betfair Hurdle winner Ballyandy will take up one of his novice hurdle Festival entries while Tobefair’s win in the Betfair Cash Out Handicap Hurdle will be enough to secure him a rise in the handicap and starting berth in the Pertemps Hurdle Final.