'Horse of a lifetime' Native River on course for another Gold Cup tilt

It takes a special horse to give weight and a beating to three sets of rivals in the same race over three different years – but then Colin Tizzard has been trying to tell anyone who will listen for as long as he can remember that Native River is a very special horse.

When you think of some of the names Tizzard has handled – Cue Card, Thistlecrack, Fox Norton, Finian's Oscar and Lostintranslation – it is telling that he describes Native River as "a horse of a lifetime".

He certainly knows what such a horse looks like and for all Native River may lack the pizzazz of some of his stablemates, he is still the only one to have won a Gold Cup.

None of the key triumvirate of trainer Tizzard, owner Garth Broom and big-race stand-in Jonjo O'Neill jnr, would be surprised if he matched the achievement of 2007 Denman Chase (then called the Aon Chase) winner Kauto Star by becoming the second horse to reclaim the Gold Cup.

Native River soars over Newbury's water jump in the Betfair Denman ChaseCredit: Mark Cranham

Broom said: "He's got as good a chance as any, there are younger horses about but I think he's as good as he ever was so I think we've a very good chance – a better chance than many of those shorter than him in the betting."

Tizzard believes the 2018 winner of Cheltenham's main event is not only the perfect Gold Cup horse, but will come on for what he viewed as a perfect prep for the race and he remains a best-priced 12-1.

"They left him alone and it was a lovely prep for the Gold Cup," he said. "Jonjo felt he never had to get serious with him, he gave him a couple of flicks and he was away. That's him all over, he was hardly blowing."

Watch Native River's victory here

O'Neill jr was deputising for reigning champion jockey Richard Johnson, who no doubt will be doubling down on his commitment to making it back in time for Cheltenham having watched on from home, but it was not the 22-year-old rider who said afterwards: "It's quite nerve-wracking."

That too was Tizzard, who has the softest of spots for this old school chaser. He added: "It's easier to race these horses once a month but when you leave them two months and plan his Gold Cup run, it was his first run here the year he won so we wanted to try and replicate that a bit. You always wonder if you've done enough, we haven't taken him away at all we've just trusted ourselves."

O'Neill jnr was impressed with his partner and said: "He's a great horse, he was deadly".

The key for many of the very best sportsmen is to keep it simple and that is something O'Neill jnr does very well. To listen to him talk through the race in the winner's enclosure provides some insight as to how that is possible.

"I just tried to treat it like a normal race," the jockey said. "At the end of the day he's got to go round, jump all the fences and finish in front."

It really does sound simple, but then that is what special talents do.

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