Joe Tizzard: “I’m hoping he’s going to show everyone what we believe he’s got”

Former jockey Joe Tizzard takes us through his stable’s Saturday runners

Battle Of Ideas runs for the Coral Champions Club in the second last at Chepstow. He’s in lovely form. He’s had a few little issues over the last few weeks but he’s in great shape now. The race has split so it looks a lovely opportunity for him. It’s the right track for him based on what we saw at Warwick. It took a while for the penny to drop, so we wouldn’t want to run at a sharp track. I think he’ll run a big race.

He was doing everything well before his debut but what I loved about his first start was that after looking a bit lost half a mile for home, the penny just dropped and he finished well and the jockey Nick Schofield said he had a job to pull him up. I liked that a lot. Then once he’d got over the race about ten days later you see something different in the horse as if he’s suddenly realised this was what he’s been bred to do. They start to pick the bridle up more, and stretch more in their work. He’s a big framed horse and he really will appreciate another summer at grass, and a bit further trip-wise in time. I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t go close tomorrow.

Finian’s Oscar runs in the 2.25. He missed Cheltenham because of a stone bruise. That only lost him one week’s work. He comes here a very fresh horse. Everything he’s done this season has been outstanding. The only reason we dropped him back to two miles was because of the soft ground at Sandown for the Tolworth. We’re really pleased with him. I galloped him around Wincanton last Monday morning and he couldn’t have gone any better. I was riding against two of our conditionals, Paul O’Brien and Angus Cheleda, and I was effectively carrying two and half stone more than them. He galloped all over them, and so he should as he’s a 150 rated horse, but they were a couple of nice babies so it was really encouraging. Robbie Power came over last week and had a sit on him.

This race is another step up for Finian’s Oscar, but I’m hoping he’s going to show everyone what we believe he’s got. I think he’s going to prove a top class horse. He’s already proven he’s a good horse. We’ve loved him from day one. He won his Grade 1 on only his third ever run. He’s the future. Cue Card has been brilliant, Thistlecrack has been brilliant, but this is a five year old with his whole career ahead of him. He’s very exciting. Next season we won’t hang about, he’s won a point to point, so we’ll go chasing. He has Gold Cup written all over him.

Sizing Codelco was a horse we tipped up to everyone at Cheltenham and he let us down. We’ve taken all the headgear off him and we’ll see how he goes. He has the ability to win but it just depends whether he puts his best foot forward. If he runs to the form of his second at Ascot behind Top Notch then he’s a very well handicapped horse. But I wouldn’t want to risk my money on him because I don’t know when it’s going to happen.

We have Morello Royale running in the first at 1.45. She’s handicapped right up to the hilt and we are about to put her in foal so this is her last run. She loves a flat track, she ran well at Newbury. That form is solid. She has a little chance but it’s a very competitive chance.

In the Grand National, I think The Young Master will run well. They’ve targeted him at this race and Sam Waley-Cohen has a great record around here. Neil Mulholland has had a great season so I like his horse a lot. Tom Scudamore is a good mate and I’d like him to go well on Vieux Lion Rouge, but I rode a favourite and fell at the first on Double Thriller, so you need the luck. Apparently the ground is beautiful according to the jockeys so it’s going to be a great race.

Joe