From the herd mentality to a singular sort of success for Tizzards

In the airy splendour of his bright new barn at the top of the hill, Colin Tizzard stands in the peaceful, slatted daylight and runs his eye down a line of boxes that, if he were ostentatiously inclined, he might be forgiven for calling Millionaire’s Row.

It’s the kind of exclusive thoroughfare that deserves its own postcode, maybe even a square on the Monopoly board of jump racing, and a series of blue plaques to recall the heroic deeds of its residents.

“Look at them,” smiles the trainer, casting an admiring eye along the parade of big-race heroes, from the heart of the building all the way down to the colossal gateway at the end. “And that’s probably the order they’ll finish in in the Gold Cup.”