Cheltenham Festival Stable Tour: Colin Tizzard

Cue Card – Timeform rated c177

Eleven-year-old Cue Card landed his ninth Grade 1 win in the Ascot Chase last weekend, and got back to the sort of form that saw him win the Betfair Chase in November (by 15 lengths from Coneygree). He fell at the third last in the Gold Cup last season (still going powerfully at the time) and will set the standard on Timeform ratings going into the race this season. Colin Tizzard felt that his run at Ascot – which was reportedly Paddy Brennan’s idea – was a “lovely prep run” and should have put him spot on for another crack at the Gold Cup. The team had felt that perhaps Cue Card had lost his chance to win a Gold Cup after his fall last year, but now feel that he is back to his very best heading in to this year’s renewal.

Native River – Timeform rated c168p

Since being united with Richard Johnson and cheekpieces Native River has won all four of his starts over fences, starting in the Mildmay at Aintree last season and ending with the Denman Chase at Newbury earlier in February. Between those wins came big handicap successes in the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Welsh National, and Native River will remain open to further improvement heading in to his biggest test to date in the Gold Cup. Tizzard described Native River as a horse with a “long, raking stride, longer than any other horse in the yard”, and feels that he is “in the form of his life”. Native River won a relative test of speed in the Denman Chase last time, and Tizzard remarked that he “saw something last time that we hadn’t seen before”.

Fox Norton – Timeform rated c166+

Fox Norton looked a potentially high-class two miler when winning a handicap at Cheltenham in October by 11 lengths from a mark of 146 for Neil Mulholland, and was subsequently purchased by Ann and Alan Potts and sent to Colin Tizzard. Fox Norton won his first start for Tizzard in the Shloer Chase at the same track in mid-November, but picked up an injury shortly after. He reportedly spent a month in his stable after bruising his tendon, and reappeared three months after the Shloer in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury. Tizzard admitted that Fox Norton faced an “impossible task” against Altior in that race, and reported that Fox Norton had been a little stiff in behind after the race. Tizzard felt that Fox Norton was doing his best work late on in the Arkle last season (when third) and is leaning towards the Ryanair, rather than the Champion Chase, at the Festival.

Finian’s Oscar – Timeform rated h142P

A £250,000 purchase after winning his sole start in Irish points, Finian’s Oscar has unsurprisingly always carried a large reputation, and he made a big impression on his Rules debut for his new connections when winning over an extended two and a half miles at Hereford in December. He was then pitched straight in to Grade 1 company on just his second Rules start, and confirmed himself a most exciting prospect, winning the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown by five lengths from Capitaine. Despite having the speed to win over two miles, Tizzard feels as though Finian’s Oscar is a two and a half miler. The Neptune would seem his most likely target for the Festival.

West Approach – Timeform rated h155

West Approach doesn’t carry a typical profile of an Albert Bartlett contender – he was sent off at 66/1 for the race last season, and remained a novice over hurdles coming in to 2016/17 – but he would be a leading contender for the race this time around based on the form of his third in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January (third behind Stayers’ Hurdle favourite Unowhatimeanharry). West Approach is also entered in the Stayers’ Hurdle, and Tizzard says that it is still 50/50 on which of his two Festival entries he will take up. Tizzard explained that Ruby Walsh felt West Approach “went to sleep [in the Cleeve], and caught him by surprise”. Tizzard feels that there is more to come from West Approach saying that he’d “never seen him work like he did last week”.

Watch as Colin Tizzard reveals his Cheltenham plans below