Graham Clark gets the lowdown from Joe Tizzard on his team for the new jumps season.
Established Grade One performers might be thin on the ground this season for Joe Tizzard, however he hopes that could all change with the promising young team he has on his hands.
While there was a dip in numbers for the now retired Grade One winning rider turned trainer, there were still some notable landmarks for the Milborne Port handler to celebrate.
At the top of that list was the victory secured by Elixir de Nutz in the re-arranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham, which supplied Tizzard with a first Grade One as a trainer.
With Elixir de Nutz sadly no longer around following a fatal fall at Sandown on the final day of the season the father-of-one is looking for a new stable star to emerge from within.
And with the likes of exciting second season chaser JPR One and promising mare Sunset Marquesa among his arsenal Tizzard might not have to wait too long to find a successor.
Tizzard said: “I never felt like last season got into full flow, but we nearly reached £1 million in prize money. I think my summer campaign stopped me from getting there, but I was still pleased enough with the season.
“I had a Grade One winner, which was unexpected, and I certainly didn’t think it would be Elixir de Nutz. He did us proud, but unfortunately we lost him at the end of the season.
“It was brilliant for me, and it was good for Freddie (Gingell), getting his name on the top roster.
“We have got a very young team. We have got a lot of lovely young horses we have been able to buy, but they take a couple of years to come through.
“I’ve got plenty of novice hurdlers and novice chasers, but we are going to struggle with the high end older horses, but you would like to think JPR One could go another notch.
“You need a bit of luck, but there are plenty of horses that I’m excited about.”
He is a nice horse that improved through his bumper runs. I stood in the paddock before the race at Exeter and there were six beautiful horses in there, but thankfully he came out on top in the race after travelling and jumping well. We were patient with him last season and now we are going to reap the benefits. I was chuffed to bits with him as I thought it was quite a warm race. I think it was one of those novice hurdlers that could throw up a few winners. He did it nicely and I’m excited about him. I would have thought we will run him in another novice hurdle under a penalty next time. It was lovely he did the three bumpers last season and we just let him progress. I don’t know where he will end up.
He is a progressive horse, but I can’t believe it took me all season to win with him. He started off back over hurdles at Newton Abbot, but we are thinking of jumping a fence with him. According to the handicapper last season he kept running well and he kept going up in the weights, but he finally got his head in front. He ran okay at Newton Abbot over hurdles the other day. I think he is a progressive young horse and when he goes over fences I think there will be a bit more to come.
She ran really well at Taunton first time out, then she ran better than her position of 10th suggested on her next start at Cheltenham. I thought she ran okay for a long way in the same bumper on Sunday that Sunset Marquesa won at Aintree last year. She has done plenty of schooling and the plan is to now go novice hurdling with her. I think she is more than capable of winning races over hurdles and I think she is quite nice.
He deserved to win the race he did on his last start at Kempton as he is a consistent little horse. He was mad keen last season and the saddle slipped up his neck twice, but he did manage to win a match race at Kempton. He is not the biggest in the world and it is difficult for him to carry big weights. It was a lovely performance at Kempton last time out. We had taken him to Salisbury for a gallop so he wasn’t too keen, but he got the run of the race. He seems to love it around Kempton and he will probably be aimed back there again. If he can pick up another race, or two, like his last one then that would be ideal.
He has had a really good last 18 months as he has been very consistent. I was chuffed to bits to get his head in front in that four runner race down at Plumpton. For him to then go and win like he did at Chepstow was great. He then went up to Aintree and did it really well again. He seems to be right back to form which is amazing. Freddie (Gingell) seems to get on particularly well with him.
He will go to the Veterans’ Chase at Sandown on Sunday. I just popped him in the Badger Beer at Wincanton just to cover all bases. He does like decent ground now as he is that bit older, but he used to handle soft ground so we will aim him for the final at Sandown as a long term target.
He just didn’t jump well enough over hurdles on his first run when he was second behind Insurrection. He then won and then in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon he didn’t jump very well at all and he cut his knee. We sent him for some intensive schooling with William Fox-Pitt and I was chuffed with his last run, but I then minded him a bit.
He has always been a big horse and because he won his bumper in the spring as a four year old he was then forced as a four, and five year old, into novice hurdles. I kind of wish I had lost him for a season as I don’t want to go novice chasing as a five, six year old, as I wouldn’t mind waiting a season. We will start him off this season in a handicap hurdle and build him up from there.
As he was a forward horse he was probably a big weak baby, so hopefully this season he can do some damage off his mark. I can’t wait to go chasing with him, but I think he needs a season hurdling just to get him mentally sharp enough for chasing. I wouldn’t mind maybe trying to get him qualified for the Pertemps Final and letting him learn how to race properly. He will win a nice race along the way before going chasing next season.
He ran a lovely race in the Grand National for a long way. I’ve entered him in the Grand Sefton and I’m half tempted to go there. However, he is a veteran now so I ought to get him qualified for the final of that. I will just pick and choose my way with him a bit. It would be nice to get another win next to his name. If he can’t pick up one of those veteran races, which are all decent pots, through the season then I would be disappointed. He hasn’t lost it yet, I don't think. We’ve always aimed really high with him and going into those veteran races would make life a bit easier for him. If he ran really well this season I would look at taking him back to Aintree for the Topham because the way he travelled, and jumped, in the Grand National the Topham trip would suit him better.
It was a lovely first run over hurdles at Cheltenham on Friday. He hadn’t run in over a year and he had only run in one Irish point-to-point. He was a big weak baby last season and I think there is masses of improvement to come from him. Brendan (Powell) looked after him coming down the hill and he has given him one flick and he stayed on beautifully. He is a nice horse. I will take my time with him and keep him at two and a half miles for now.
He posted some solid efforts over hurdles at the start of last season then his form just tailed off a bit. He is one that we have sent over fences this season. He is quite a nice horse, but you have to remember he is a flat horse as we got him from Andrew Balding. He seems to school well enough at home. He is just a good solid horse and it would be great if he could find a bit more improvement for jumping a fence. I’m sure his owners will continue having a lot of fun with him. We will give him a couple of nice quiet runs then look at a better pot later on.
He came off the flat, but he has been off for a while. At one stage he was rated 104 on the flat when he was with Charlie and Mark Johnston and he finished third in the Chester Vase as a three year-old. He came off the flat with a leg injury, but schools alright and he could be anything. I’d say he would want a bit of a trip when we send him over hurdles. He seems to have taken to it very well. If he transfers that flat form over to hurdles he should win a race or two.
I thought she ran alright on her first start over fences at Worcester as it was a hot race and the winner won well. She jumped well. She has been dropped to 124 and maybe that is her mark. I will probably take her to Kempton on November 11th for a 0-125 mares’ handicap chase over two and a half miles. That is her right grade. I was pleased with the way she jumped and I think there are more options for her as a handicap chaser than as a handicap hurdler. She won a nice handicap hurdle at Plumpton last season and a Grade Two at the end of the one before that so she is a smart filly. I will go back up in trip in time, but I won’t panic yet as she has got enough toe, however she clearly stays.
He just tailed off at the end of last season as he never really got his ground. He jumped well in the Arkle, but he never really got up the hill. He loves to bounce off decent ground. The Grade Two race at Cheltenham in November was one that did get away as he looked like being an impressive winner as he was going to bolt up. He bounced back from it at Lingfield and managed to get his Grade Two win there thankfully.
I think he is a really talented horse and if he is going to take the next step he should be very competitive off a mark of 149 in the Haldon Gold Cup. I was considering other options for him, but there is normally only six or seven runners in a Haldon Gold Cup, and he won a novice hurdle around there, and I think it is a nice introductory race back for him.
The Haldon Gold Cup is a limited handicap and after that we could then look at something a bit bigger. I’m just going to pick my way with him a bit and I won’t be killing him before Christmas. I will definitely save a bit of petrol for a spring campaign with him. I think he is a proper two miler and I think he will end up either being in a Queen Mother or a Grand Annual. John (Romans, owner) is keen to have runners at Cheltenham and that is where we will be looking. He looks a million dollars at home.
I thought he was going to win coming down to two out at Kempton last time out, but he is a bit of a weak finisher. We have had some good days out with him like when he was third in the Topham up at Aintree. He will win another race, but he is getting longer in the tooth as he is nine years old now. He is back down at 122 now. He likes Kempton as the easy three miles really suits him around there. He just saves a little bit for himself.
He pulled up in the Persian War Novices’ Hurdle on his first start last season, but then he ran well three times at Wincanton. I had him in at Trials Day at Cheltenham in January, but he literally did his pelvis the day before which was a shame. He goes well at home and he jumped well in his Irish point-to-point so I think jumping fences is his game. He was absolutely fine following his fall at Cheltenham. I was really pleased with his jumping until he came to grief as he jumped efficiently the whole way around until his fall. I think he would have been in the first three whatever would have happened. He could well go back to Cheltenham for the November Meeting. We will school him a few times before then, but we could be brave and head back to Cheltenham again. He has a bright future.
He won his last three starts at the end of last season and he seems to have got better with the fitting of blinkers. He cost a fair bit as a store horse, but he just took his time and he has now really clicked. The ground was quick enough for him at Wincanton on Sunday as he would prefer it softer, but that will have blown the cobwebs away. I still wouldn’t mind trying to sneak him into the bottom of the Welsh Grand National if I’m honest with you. He would need to win again before that and we could look at the Welsh Grand National Trial at Chepstow in early December for him. The owners have liked running him locally, but we will have to plot slightly further afield with him.
He didn’t take to fences well, but he won his last race at Huntingdon. When he won well at Ayr I thought here we go, but it didn’t quite happen, however he has still got time on his side. He has just jarred himself up so he won’t run until the New Year, but the second half of the season is his time of year. I wouldn’t be afraid to have another pop over fences with him, but he will probably start back over hurdles. As he has been frustrating he is on a mark he can win again from.
He is back in training after he had a slight stress fracture which kept him out all last season. He went lame on us and we sent him off for a body scan, and thank God we did. He had that full season off, but he has been back in right from the word go this time around. He was disappointing on his comeback at Ascot. He had been off the track for a long time, but he didn’t blow that hard afterwards. I will get stuck into him at home now. It was a bit of an underwhelming first day, but he is only a young horse and there is still plenty of time with him. It will probably take a couple runs to get him there, but I’m not worrying about him because of one bad run. He will stay hurdling this season for certain and hopefully we can have a bit of fun with him.
She is just a good solid mare that runs her race every time. It was a lovely win she secured at Sandown last season, but I think the handicapper has got her where she is. She is probably not quite good enough to win one of those mares Listed races, but she should be more than capable of paying her way. It didn’t quite happen for her when Cheveley Park Stud had her so we then sent her pointing and now she has given her current owner Geoff Nicholas lots of fun.
He finished fourth on his sole start in a bumper last season and he would have finished second had he not weakened late on. It was a good performance given he unseated Harry Kimber in the paddock before the race. He ran in a bumper at Chepstow on Tuesday and the plan was to give him one more bumper start before then switching him to novice hurdles. He has already schooled well which is a big positive. I think he is quite nice.
He had a brilliant season last term and he went under the radar a bit. As he wasn’t expected to be a Cheltenham horse it meant he picked his way around the likes of Plumpton. He just progressed as the season went on. The cheek pieces definitely helped him focus and get his confidence jumping. We dropped him back to two miles at Cheltenham first time out this season and they went flat out in it as the times were very good. He will sharpen up for the run. It was a step up in class for him, and he will step back up in trip for the Haldon Gold Cup now. He is certainly going in the right direction. If he goes back and wins the Sussex Champion Chase at Plumpton it is not the end of the world.
She had rock solid form in bumpers last season and managed to secure some black type. She has summered really well. She has schooled really well and she should be even better now over them than she was in bumpers. She seemed to travel really well in her races then hit a flat spot about two furlongs out then stay on really well again.
I think she is a really nice mare, and although she needs to improve again, she ticks a lot of boxes for me. She ran a nice race at Uttoxeter on her debut over hurdles, but it was plenty quick enough for her and she didn’t really let herself down up the straight. Brendan (Powell) said she wouldn’t want it any quicker than that. She had a nice spin, but she was beaten fair and square, however it was still a good run. We can improve a bit with her jumping, and softer ground will help her. I’d say we will probably step her up in trip now. I’m going to see if she is good enough to get to Cheltenham though. I will run her in qualifiers for other series so then I’m covered and she will tell me how good she is.
We didn’t run him last season, but he showed a fair bit of ability in a couple of racecourse gallops we gave him. He is a big horse, but he had a good summer before coming back in and winning on his debut at Wincanton. I don’t know what he beat, but he could not have been more impressive with the way in which he did it. Mine don’t normally win bumpers first time out so if they do they are usually fairly good. He has done well winning a bumper for such a big horse. We will aim him at a better bumper now nearer Christmas time.
I think he is a bit of a slow burner. When he first ran over hurdles, and in his first season chasing, it just took him a little while to get the hang of it. We were a bit disappointed when he got beaten at Uttoxeter on his last start last season, but at the same time it has left him as a novice chaser for this season. I will probably start him off in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton and he will also have a Coral Gold Cup entry, but he would need to go up a bit to get into that. He is basically a seasoned chaser without winning. If he goes back to the race he ran in at Exeter last season there is likely to be a staying novice chaser in there, which would have to give him weight if it was a normal handicap. I quite like the idea at having a go at the Badger Beer as I think Wincanton will suit him.
He missed last season with a leg injury but he is back in training now. He is a bit of a wild horse, but he might have grown up and he is solid off his mark of 130. He has got some nice form against his name. He will be ready to run at the end of November as he was a bit later coming in as he had that tendon injury. I will play it small to start with then see where he takes us. I’m not sure how much more improvement there is in him, but he is a nice horse to have back.
He had two cracking wins at Cheltenham and Ascot last season and he really went up a step. He ran well at Aintree at the end of the season. He will come on a lot for his run at Cheltenham on Friday. If he hadn’t have missed two out I think he would have stayed on to be fourth. There is the option of going back to Cheltenham for the race he won last season at the November Meeting, but there are also options at Ascot. We will just plot our way with him and see where we can nick as much prize money as we can. If he gets in it we could look at the Grand Annual again later in the season.
He is a lovely horse and he has some strong form behind Celtic Dino. He was running better than he should be in bumpers and he was far from disgraced. He just pulled a muscle so he probably won’t be out until the end of November or early December, but he is a lovely big horse that has definitely got an engine which his bumper form shows. He was schooling all of last season and it seemed to go well. He will be a better chaser when that time comes.
He is not the horse of old, it is simple as that. He is from the same family as White Moon and he looked the part, but never really trained on throughout his career. I thought he had the race won on his last start at Plumpton down the back straight, but he probably ended up being beaten by a nice horse. He will get his head in front at some point, but I don’t think there is loads left in the tank and he won’t be getting back to the level of form of his novice season. He has been slightly frustrating as his wind has stopped him a bit, but he is not the first one we have had that has had a brilliant season then has not quite gone on. We will chop and change between hurdles and fences and I’m sure he will get his head in front at some point.
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