Joe Tizzard: He’s back to form and goes there with a chance
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Trainer and Coral ambassador Joe Tizzard discusses the prospects of his five runners at Cheltenham and Fontwell this weekend.
Saturday
Gyenyame ran really well on his seasonal return at Wincanton last month, finishing second under a big weight, and he should improve for that outing. We were really taken with him when he won a novice hurdle at Wincanton last season, but for whatever reason he then didn’t really show up on his next run at Exeter, so it was pleasing to see him back to form last time.
The track will be very different to Wincanton, and the ground the softest he’s encountered, but if he can cope with both those things, I’d say he’s fairly handicapped, and in what has turned out to be a relatively small field, he goes there with a chance.
We don’t win too many bumpers generally, but this filly won well at Aintree last month, really galloping all the way through the line, so we felt she was entitled to take her chance in this Listed company. As you’d expect for the track and the grade, it’s a decent looking contest, so we know it won’t be easy, but as I say, she deserves to take her chance.
It’s a recurring theme with my runners, but she should improve for her first run of the season, and the way she finished her race at Aintree tells me the uphill finish at Cheltenham shouldn’t be a problem. If she could be placed and earn some black type, that would be job done, any more than that would be a bonus.
Sunday
Ticking Tom Bomb joined us from a point-to-point yard, and was having his first run for over 600 days when running really well at Wincanton last month, where he finished third. This is a massive step up, but he’ll improve plenty for that first run, and the owners were keen to have a Cheltenham runner. It’s not a massive field, and if he finished in the first four or five we’d be happy.
Rose Of Arcadia has run well here before, and although this looks a decent contest, she’s entitled to take her chance off this current mark. She stays well, so we know she’ll be doing her best work at the finish, and she’s been a cracking mare for us. She comes here fit off the back of a Newton Abbot win, and she deserves this crack at a big prize.
Like much of the country, Fontwell has had plenty of rain, so their big Sunday meeting will have to pass an inspection on Saturday morning, but if it does, we run My Lady Grey in their concluding mares’ handicap hurdle. She’s been off for over a year with a leg injury, but has been back in work for a while, and so while she will improve for the run, she’ll be trying her best here in what doesn’t look the strongest of races.
Joe
