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Cheltenham Festival

Tizzard: Newbury warm-up will put Native River spot on for Gold Cup showdown

The riding style of Richard Johnson, pictured winning the Denman Chase on Native River, finds favour with Dinah Nicholson
Native River: general 11-2 second favourite for next month's Timico Cheltenham Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Colin Tizzard believes he has got Native River's big-race preparation "dead right" as he looked forward to taking his strongest team to the Cheltenham Festival, where a successful meeting would put him right back in the mix for the trainers' championship.

In a stellar campaign last season, Native River won the Hennessy Gold Cup, the Welsh National carrying top weight and the Denman Chase before going down by two and three-quarter lengths when third to Sizing John in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

But suspecting those earlier efforts may have taken an edge off Native River by March, Tizzard has deliberately given him a lighter campaign, returning him to action only this month to claim a second Denman Chase victory over two other rivals in a bid to ensure he is ready to peak in the Gold Cup, for which he is general 11-2 second-favourite behind Might Bite.

"I think at the moment we have got it dead right," said Tizzard, speaking at a Cheltenham Festival media day on Wednesday.

"Especially when I watched the Irish Gold Cup, when they had about five Gold Cup horses in there, they were dishing it up to each other. If three of those come and finish in the first three, we know we should have a harder campaign last year because they had a hard race.

"We've had a little skirmish and sprinted for half a mile over three fences, which should put him spot on. We will see which one works out best. I fear Sizing John. He came through on the bridle. For whatever reason he flopped once, which every horse is entitled to do."

Colin Tizzard with Native River, who made a triumphant return to action at Newbury this month
Colin Tizzard with Native River, who made a triumphant return to action at Newbury this monthCredit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)

Tizzard was many people's fancy to wrest the jump trainers' title off Nicky Henderson following a 2016-17 campaign that produced nine Grade 1 wins. He has not yet registered one this term but, despite a midwinter hiatus, is past £1 million for the season with a personal-best 59 wins and with Cheltenham and Aintree still to come.

He will be without Thistlecrack and probably Pingshou at the festival but heads into March full of optimism with a team that includes Native River, a back-to-form Cue Card, Finian's Oscar and Fox Norton plus a host of novices.

"I am not disappointed in this year," Tizzard said. "We've just gone past 59 winners, which is the best we've ever had, and we've got more horses. We've gone through the £1 million barrier. There is a lot of money to be won in the next six weeks.

"If we were lucky enough to win a Gold Cup we would be smack bang in play again. I can't believe we are fifth in the championship and with a really good chance of finishing in the top three with the horses we have to run from now on in."

Tizzard said Cue Card's Cheltenham Festival target had not been decided but was adamant evergreen 12-year-old, winner of eight Grade 1 races over fences and who has contribued two of his five wins at the festival, is as good as ever.

Colin Tizzard flanked by the evergreen Cue Card (right) and leading Gold Cup contender Native River
Colin Tizzard flanked by the evergreen Cue Card (right) and leading Gold Cup contender Native RiverCredit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)

After seeing the veteran finish second to the seven-year-old Waiting Patiently in Saturday's Betfair Ascot Chase, he believes he will be primed for Cheltenham, where he will contest either the Ryanair Chase or Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he has come down twice at the third-last fence in the last two years with all to play for.

"You've got to say he ran right to some of his best marks at Ascot. If you take out Waiting Patiently, he beat Frodon, who won a handicap 12 lengths before, out of sight, as well as Top Notch. It was a good race.

"We felt for the last three years he is better over three miles so any race will do. Jean [Bishop, owner] is coming down for three days for a little holiday. We will make a decision then for sure.

"There is no reason why we shouldn't go for the biggest one. Is that any harder to win than the Ryanair? Possibly yes, but if he gets as close as Native River we won't mind. He definitely doesn't need to retire."

Thistlecrack, the 2016 King George winner who was favourite for the Gold Cup until suffering a first defeat in the Cotswold Chase, will miss the festival for the second year in a row but is already back in training after his latest setback and being prepared for his next campaign.

"He is back in work because the stress fracture was only very small," said Tizzard. "They take six weeks and then they are fine. He had eight months off last year and we struggled to get him fit. He is a big, old-fashioned horse and he doesn't want another five months off now.

"The Betfair Chase is ages away and if he was an athlete he would be keeping a bit of fitness in him. So he is going to be kept fit. We are going to ride him all summer, turn him out to grass, get him in, ride him, do a canter every day then put him back in the field.

"He is sound as a pound. Any other horse we would try to get ready but that would be pushing our luck. He did his tendon when he ran in the Cotswold, which was the end of January, so that was always an issue that we were coming back too soon. But we couldn't have a year off with him."


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Published on 21 February 2018inCheltenham Festival

Last updated 13:02, 22 February 2018

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