Cheltenham brought solid runs, but Tizzard’s yard heads to Aintree buoyed by a promising next generation, writes Chris Wald
March has been something of a mixed bag for the Tizzard yard – solid performances on the biggest stage, followed by a string of encouraging results closer to home, and a reminder that the next generation is already coming through.
Cheltenham, as ever, set the tone. This year it was a Festival where the yard held its own, without quite landing a blow.
‘They all ran well without having any spectacular results,’ Chris Wald says. ‘Alexei was fourth in the Champion Hurdle, JPR One was fourth in the Ryanair – everything ran well. It’s just so competitive there.’
That lack of a headline winner doesn’t tell the full story. Horses ran to form, and in a week where margins are fine and competition relentless, that in itself carries weight: ‘We were happy with all the horses that ran,’ he says.
Kool Kid has been one of the standouts of the last few weeks, winning over hurdles at Plumpton before returning two weeks later to score again on his first run over fences – a step up that suggests there is more to come. Sherborne has followed a similar path, winning at Exeter before stepping up again to land an impressive victory at Ascot. ‘They’ve both won their last two,’ Chris says. ‘They’re the two that have really stood out.’
There was also a notable success for The Italian Fox at Chepstow, a horse who has required patience. ‘He’s owned by a syndicate,’ Chris says. ‘And they’ve had to be patient with him. He’s been here a couple of years, since being bought as a three-year-old, and he’s taken a little bit of time to mature and grow into himself. But it all came together last Thursday, and he won nicely – by 14 lengths. So it looks like he’s a nice prospect going forward now. And it’s always nice for a syndicate to have a good day!’
Attention now turns to Aintree, with around half a dozen Tizzard runners expected. Several of the Cheltenham horses will go again, including Alexei and JPR One, while Eldorado Allen is set for the Topham Chase, which is over the Grand National fences: ‘He jumped very well in the National a couple of years ago but didn’t quite stay the distance,’ Chris says. ‘Hopefully the shorter trip will suit him really well.’
From there, the season begins to taper. Ground conditions will dictate who runs again, with some horses already nearing the end of their campaigns. ‘We’ll try and get most of them one more run,but then we’ll start winding them down and turning them out.’
Smaller big wins
Alongside the headline race results, there are other stories emerging within the yard that matter almost as much.
Sixteen-year-old Katherine Sprake, who works on the yard around school hours, bought Whydah Gally from Joe last year and has been training him herself. ‘She rode in her first point-to-point at Maisemore – and they won,’ Chris says. ‘That was a really nice result.’ Still at school, she is set to join the yard full time next season.
She is not alone. Another of the youngest members of the team, 13-year-old Amber Tizzard, rides out at weekends and during school holidays. Too young for point-to-point racing, she competes in pony races and this month recorded her first winner at Buckfastleigh.
For a yard operating at the top level, it is a reminder that success is not only built on Festival results, but on the steady development of horses and the people coming through behind them.
