Joe Tizzard Saturday runners blog: 'He's a big, strong horse'

Leading trainer Joe Tizzard shares his latest Coral blog previewing his runners at Newbury and Doncaster on Saturday, as well as his views on his Cheltenham Festival 2025 handicap entries.

This horse won nicely at the end of last year, and then ran well enough to finish third at Ascot last time, so that does mean he has to carry top weight on heavy ground here. However, he’s a big, strong horse and we’re back down to two miles, so I don’t think the weight’s an issue and he should be there or thereabouts. 

At this stage I really don’t know how good this mare is, we bought her after she won her point to point, and then she came out and won nicely at Wincanton first time up, although I don’t know what she beat that day. 

She seems to have improved for that run, and this close to Cheltenham, we felt this race might cut up a bit, and it has, with only eight runners, so it’s a nice Listed pot to have a crack at, she’s only a novice for a couple more months, and if she’s not up to this grade, we can drop down again.

We’re chucking this horse in at the deep end a little bit here, but he’ll love this ground, and he’s been schooling well at home with the blinkers on. He gets in here off a feather weight, and although we don’t know if he’s good enough, my feeling is he won’t be disgraced and can pick up some decent prize money.

This has the look of a proper contest, with all the leading contenders standing their ground it’s going to be ultra-competitive. This fellow is a model of consistency, and is always on the premises, and off this mark he should be in the mix once more, albeit he could run into one in a race this deep.

As we’ve said here previously, we’ll be taking a small but hopefully select team to Cheltenham this season, and the weights were unveiled for the handicaps this week. My initial reaction to the handicapper’s work was that the horses got the marks I expected, I certainly wasn't surprised by any of them, pleasantly or otherwise!

In terms of running plans, The Changing Man will almost certainly run in the Ultima on day one. If the top weight runs, he will get in it off a really nice weight of 10-11, and as the betting says, he could be our best chance of the week. There is a very slim chance he could run in the Brown Advisory, but only if two or three of the leading fancies for that didn't turn up. 

JPR One will almost certainly run in the Grand Annual rather than the Queen Mother Champion Chase. With Edwardstone not running, he will have to carry top weight, but I think that's more doable than asking him to take on Jonbon and co in the Champion Chase.

Lord of Thunder will be right on the cusp of getting in to the Novice Handicap Chase that has been brought back, but I hope he does sneak in, because again I think he will be off a lovely racing weight. Like The Changing Man, he goes to Cheltenham off the back of a lovely, confidence boosting win, and off 10-6 he could be really interesting.

Rock My Way will get in to the National Hunt Chase, this is not the race it was, when it was over four miles for amateur riders, it’s now basically a staying handicap chase for novices, and he will take his chance, although I think he will need a lifetime best performance to win it.

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