Tizzard: Finian's Oscar as good as ever for return to hurdling in Cleeve

Joe Tizzard is adamant Finian's Oscar remains as good as ever and is hoping a return to hurdling at Cheltenham on Saturday will see him back to his brilliant best.

The Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle at the festival is the aim for the six-year-old and Tizzard believes the Cleeve Hurdle can be the arena for him to recapture the kind of sizzling form which made him such an exciting prospect last season when he won four of his five starts.

Those victories included two Grade 1 events, the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown and Aintree’s Mersey Novices’ Hurdle before his attentions were turned to novice chasing at the beginning of this campaign. Finian's Oscar has landed two of his four races over fences this term but has not always been impressive.

Four of the last ten winners of the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle have gone on to Stayers’ Hurdle glory, including the stable’s brilliant Thistlecrack, who landed both events impressively in 2016.

Tizzard, assistant to his father Colin, said: “Finian’s Oscar runs in the Cleeve on Saturday, and Bryan Cooper will ride him.

“He hasn’t totally taken to chasing this season, albeit he won well at Cheltenham and was only narrowly beaten by a good horse [Benatar] at Ascot when conceding him 5lb.”

Finian's Oscar was on Wednesday a top-priced 12-1 for the Stayers' Hurdle and Tizzard said: "He's only just turned six, and there will be plenty of time in the future to go back chasing with him.

“We’ve decided to go down the Stayers’ Hurdle route, and it will be interesting to see how he fares on Saturday.”

Bookmakers have Finian’s Oscar as short as 2-1 favourite to make a triumphant return to hurdling, and Tizzard wouldn’t argue with their assessment.

“We know how good he is,” Tizzard said. “Nothing’s gone. He retains all his ability. He has a massive engine.”

After a memorable career-best season last year, the Tizzards have been far quieter this campaign, but a couple of winners last weekend – The Dutchman in Haydock’s valuable Grade 2 Peter Marsh Chase, and Fourth Act at Fontwell – suggests the horses are coming right again in time for the most important part of the year.

“I think we’ve turned the corner,” Tizzard said. “Finian’s Oscar has been working lovely, and I’m hopeful he can go and show people just how good he is on Saturday.”

Clouds honoured at Cheltenham

Saturday's card will mark the first anniversary of the death of Many Clouds, who tragically collapsed when suffering a pulmonary hemorrhage just yards after the finishing line, following his defeat of Thistlecrack in the Betbright Trial Cotswold Chase.

Since then there have been many tributes paid to the 2015 Grand National hero, including the Jockey Club planting of a tree on the Lambourn gallops and the naming of a the newly-upgraded 118 Bet Many Clouds Chase at Aintree's Becher Meeting in December.

Part of the same Jockey Club Racecourse group as Aintree, Cheltenham revealed that discussions has taken place over naming a race after Trevor Hemmings' crowd favourite.

A spokesperson for the course said: "Naming a race after Many Clouds at Cheltenham was discussed, after his death here last year. But it was felt Aintree would be a more appropriate place to commemorate his achievements, notably his win in the Randox Health Grand National."

He will be publicly remembered on Saturday when the racecourse broadcasts the award-winning documentary "Many Clouds: The People's Horse," directed by Equine Productions' Nathan Horrocks, the horse's regular work rider.

Horrocks and trainer Oliver Sherwood will participate in two question and answer sessions in the winners' enclosure at 12.05pm and 2.05pm. Questions can be submitted on Twitter via @CheltenhamRaces

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