Lostintranslation: 'He's completely different now - he's back with a vengeance'

Fans' Favourites is a weekly feature in the Racing Post Weekender in which we talk to those closest to racing's most popular horses and find out why they tug on our heartstrings. This week's subject: Lostintranslation

When the downfall is great, the comeback can be even greater. Sprinter Sacre and Faugheen are prime recent examples of stars who resurrected their careers from the ashes, and now Lostintranslation could be on a similar path back to the top.

Once touted as the brightest prospect in British chasing, the 2019 Betfair Chase winner went on a rapid, downward spiral last season, finishing no closer than 26 lengths of the winner in any of his four races, and being pulled up in the King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

‘Lost’ appeared an apt shortening of his name then, but last month the Colin Tizzard-trained warrior found his old self again on an unusually balmy early winter’s day at Ascot.

Making his reappearance in the 1965 Chase, he brushed aside Master Tommytucker, Dashel Drasher and Defi Du Seuil with ease as he stormed to a popular success.

“We didn’t lose faith, but it was f****** hard work,” Joe Tizzard, his father’s assistant, said immediately after Lostintranslation’s triumphant return. For joint-owner Paul Taylor the faith is as strong as ever after Ascot, where his nine-year-old went off 4-1 joint third-favourite.

“He was an interesting price, I really couldn’t quite get my head around it,” he says. “He was either going to bomb out or win, there was nothing in between.

“We think we’ve got him back and it may be madness, but I’m convinced the King George is still the perfect race for him. I may look stupid saying that!”

There have already been many triumphs for Taylor, fellow owner Richard O’Dwyer and the Tizzards to cherish with Lostintranslation, but their journey to success began with a tragedy.

Taylor’s three-year-old son Charlie died in a car accident in 2015 and the two owners decided to source a decent jumps horse to celebrate his life. It was a year-long search that involved research, money and the kids’ film Despicable Me.

“We were at Cheltenham the year after Charlie died thinking of good things to do to keep the memory going,” Taylor recalls. “Richard came up with the idea of having the silks in the Minions colours, which was from his favourite film.

“Everybody goes through crap at certain times – we won’t be the first or last to go through that – and from my perspective it’s not a sad thing. There are times when we’ll get emotional, but the whole point is keeping Charlie’s memory alive, and horseracing is my passion. The whole family loves it.

“We use Ross Doyle for every purchase we make and we tasked him with finding one over jumps, but they had to represent those colours well. We told him to take his time, and it was a year later when he called me to say he thought he’d found the one.”

Owners Paul Taylor (second left) and Richard O’Dwyer (second right) in the winner’s enclosure after Lostintranslation's 1965 Chase win at Ascot in NovemberCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

The ‘one’ made his debut at a Tattersalls Farm point-to-point for the late Willie Codd in November 2016, but a less than flattering fourth opened the door for Taylor and O’Dwyer to acquire him.

Taylor says: “He disappointed on his point-to-point start, but he’d been well touted before then and Ross thought he’d end up going to Gigginstown or whoever for lots of money. They were certain he’d win his point.

“We’d bought relatively inexpensive horses on the Flat with Jim Boyle before him and we did have lots of winners, but the highest-rated was about 90, so this was a different ball game for us.

“When he arrived at Colin’s in the spring [of 2017], he came over as a big, strong horse who hadn’t filled out. They were very positive about him for his debut.”

Those vibes translated into an encouraging second behind future Grade 1 winner Dynamite Dollars at Chepstow that October and, while that first campaign brought just a maiden hurdle win, Lostintranslation soon showed he was able to compete at the top level.

A respectable seventh in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle was followed by a half-length second in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at the Grand National meeting, which left connections excited about what he could achieve once he was sent over fences.

“It was really the Supreme where we saw what talent he had,” Taylor says. “He travelled so well, but got bumped two out and still carried on to run a stormer.

“Colin had him as his bet of the week at Aintree and, while we went down in a driving finish, knowing at that point that he was going to get better over a trip and a fence meant we felt like we had something special.”

Just like in his hurdling days, Lostintranslation took a couple of runs to get up to speed over fences, but victory over Defi Du Seuil in the Grade 2 Dipper Novices’ Chase saw him burst onto the scene in thrilling style on Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day card in 2019.

Taylor remembers the day well. “Richard and my parents were there, but I was on holiday in Dubai at the time,” he says. “I thought we’d end up going to Kempton on Boxing Day, so I’d planned it around that.

“I was pretty certain Philip Hobbs had a decent horse in Defi Du Seuil, so seeing him battle back like he did was amazing, especially with how well Defi had travelled past us. I threw my phone near the pool and I was going mental. I thought he was beat and it was a hell of a performance.”

The New Year’s Day clash was part of an ongoing rivalry between Lostintranslation and Defi Du Seuil, who ultimately edged it 2-1 after taking the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and then the decider back at Cheltenham in the JLT Novices’ Chase, but those defeats left the Tizzard camp unfazed.

Lostintranslation would go on to stamp his authority as the best staying novice chaser in Britain with a dominant victory over RSA Chase winner Topofthegame in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

“Cheltenham was very nerve-racking,” Taylor recalls. “Having been there as a spectator for 20-odd years it was a very different experience, even from the Supreme, because we were going there with a live, almost a favourite’s, chance.

“I’ve never seen a novice jump around Cheltenham like him, but we were beaten by the faster, better horse. It’s not after-timing, but Colin was pretty certain that if we’d have gone for the RSA we’d have won that.

“They were so bullish going into Aintree and wouldn’t hear of him getting beat. He looked better than he did at Cheltenham in himself and it was a far more relaxed affair. I was told he’d win after just a couple of fences with how well he was travelling.”

The immature youngster who came into Tizzard’s care had blossomed into a brutish, exceptionally talented performer, and he started his second season over fences as Britain’s chief Cheltenham Gold Cup hope.

After landing the Colin Parker Memorial Chase on his reappearance, Lostintranslation’s first big target was the Betfair Chase in a mouthwatering early-season clash with Bristol De Mai, the king of Haydock who was going for a hat-trick in the track’s major race.

Lostintranslation puts in a mighty leap on his way to victory in the 2019 Betfair Chase at HaydockCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The pair were inseperable in the market as 5-4 joint-favourites, but by the end of the gruelling 3m1½f there was clear daylight between them as Lostintranslation inflicted a first Haydock defeat on Bristol De Mai by a length and a half.

“It was dreams-come-true stuff. It was an amazing day, a really amazing day,” Taylor says. “I think more highly of Bristol now than I did before that race. I was almost questioning the races he’d won and I thought we’d have the legs on him, but it was just an outstanding race.

“Bristol ran a stormer and it was a very tough assignment, but Lostintranslation became a man that day.”

That high was followed by a first major setback in the King George VI Chase at Kempton, where he put in a perplexing no-show and was pulled up turning into the home straight.

That was put down to a breathing problem and he was given a wind operation, which looked to have been a masterstroke as he tanked into the lead between the final two fences in the Gold Cup. Ultimately, though, he was pushed back into third behind Al Boum Photo and Santini, rounding off a disappointingly below-par week for the Tizzard string.

“There was a lot more tension than normal – me and my wife couldn’t watch because there were conversations the night before about scratching him because the horses were running so badly,” Taylor says.

“He probably wasn’t 100 per cent, but there was the thrill that he did himself justice and we actually owned a horse who jumped the last in front in a Gold Cup. It’s something that will never be taken away from us.”

As racing and the world faced up to the Covid-19 pandemic just days after his gallant Gold Cup third, Lostintranslation went into a lockdown within himself in the midst of an awful run of form for the Tizzards.

Four runs last season yielded nothing and it was easy to conclude he was past his peak and on the way down. Taylor thought differently.

“You’ve got to be patient. I’ve been following racing long enough to see worse things happen. I put last season down to something being wrong with all the yard – they were all out of form.

“‘Lost’ certainly wasn’t the horse he was the season before. Hand on heart, he never looked that great when we saw him at the races. There were a couple of times when he put down on his fences last season. At home, we saw him backing off in his schooling, when usually he’s a horse who wants to see them a mile off, stride over them and show off.

“It took until having the summer off for him to come back to himself. He looks a completely different prospect now and is back with a vengeance.”

Winning connections at Haydock after Lostintranslation's Betfair Chase victory in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Reflecting on his Ascot success, Taylor says: “It was superb for Colin and Joe. I was nervous beforehand because if he’d bombed out again we’d have questioned whether to keep going. Joe was very confident he was back to himself, seeing him school and gallop, but on the track you’ve got no idea.

“I loved the way he was at full pace for a lot of the race – he put his head down and intimidated them out of the contest. There’s certainly plenty to work on too, and he’ll improve a ton from it.”

The owners are bullish again and, while they are looking forward to the opportunity to make it third time lucky in the King George on Boxing Day, there is one dream above all others.

“It’s all about the Gold Cup,” Taylor says. “It’ll be a hell of a race with the Irish horses dominating, but on form if we get him there fully fit, you won’t find a horse better suited to jumping around Cheltenham.”

Whatever the season holds for Lostintranslation, he will leave a lasting legacy, not just for racing in Charlie’s memory, but in the sporting endeavours of Taylor and O’Dwyer.

“He’s given us the confidence that as a team we may not be capable of competing in the big, big leagues, but we can put together smart horses who outperform what we pay for them,” Taylor says. “Success is reinvested and we’ve had the likes of Grade 1 winners Reserve Tank and Fiddlerontheroof with other friends.

“We’ve got a great pipeline of up-and-coming horses. Will they be the next Lostintranslation? I doubt it, but they’ll give us some fun over the next few years.”

The fun is back in full swing with Lostintranslation, and it would be a hugely popular victory if he could carry those yellow Minion colours to King George or Gold Cup glory.

Read more from our Fans' Favourites series:

One For Arthur: 'For other horses it was a test but for him it was easy'

Denman: 'He could pick you up and chuck you out the box or take your arm off'

Thomas Crapper: 'They bought him for £8,000 and he won them nearly £140,000'

Silviniaco Conti: 'His jumping never let him down – he was absolutely class'

Secretariat: 'He was something else – I'm still waiting to see one as good'

Lady Bowthorpe: 'Even on Newmarket Heath, people know who she is'

Quiet Reflection: 'It poured down but we didn't care as she destroyed them'

Alpha Delphini: 'I asked them to stick me 50 quid each-way on that morning

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