Joe Tizzard: “Eldorado Allen deserves a Champion Hurdle run if he wins here”

It’s not easy for him off his current mark of 147, which he earned with some good performances last season, but if he turns up with his A-game here he could be competitive, but he does have to put a bad run behind him.

We also run Royal Vacation in this, he was disappointing at Taunton last time, but he’s a horse with ability when it clicks, it’s just a job to know when that will be!

He finds things easy at home but he seems to keep a bit for himself as well, if he puts his best foot forward here he’d have a chance, but you just don’t know which Royal Vacation will turn up.

Sandown 16.10 – Ambion Hill

Ambion Hill is a lovely young horse who’s improving all the time. He led over the last at Chepstow last time before just getting collared, and this 2 ½ mile trip should suit.

He’s handicapping now, and his mark of 116 looks fair on what he’s achieved, without being generous I should add!

It is the old saying but whatever he does this season over hurdles is a bonus, he’ll be a much better horse next year, he’s a big baby and he’s improving with every run.

Lingfield 16.05 – Catch The Cuban and Norse Legend

We’re doing our impression of Aidan O’Brien here, running two in a flat race! Catch The Cuban’s flat form for us started OK, but then tailed off, but since the wind op his hurdling form improved, second at Chepstow followed by his Kempton win, and he now has the confidence that his breathing is alright.

We didn’t want to bottom him on heavy jumping ground, hence why we’re giving him a spin on the flat, but he’s good enough to run really well here.

Our other runner, Norse Legend, is on the transfer list! We’ve been struggling with him over fences and hurdles, but as there’s not a sale for him until March, we’ll run him on the flat a couple of times so that potential buyers can see that he’s sound.

Sunday 

Taunton 13.35 – Royal Crown

Royal Crown has had a few growing pains as it were, but he’s a horse we hold in high regard, and has schooled well and done everything right at home, so he’s more than capable of winning a novice hurdle.

Whether he just needs this run or not I’m not quite sure, but he’s a nice horse with a bright future.

Taunton 14.05 – War Lord

War Lord won his maiden hurdle, which made life difficult with a penalty, but he’s handicapping off 120 now, and I think he can be competitive off that mark and have a decent chance in a nice little race.

Taunton 15.40 – Shoal Bay & Quite By Chance

We run two in the staying chase. Shoal Bay wants better ground so has had his winter break, we’ll get a run into him here ahead of a spring campaign.

Quite By Chance has been a grand old servant for us, he’s had a leg injury but has been doing plenty of work at home. Even so I expect him to need this run, and he’s another who will then have a spring campaign.

Taunton 16.45 – Thatsentertainment

Our final runner of the weekend is Thatsentertainment in the bumper. He’s a nice young horse who has been away for a racecourse gallop, but I’m still expecting him to need this debut run.

He’ll have two or three runs in bumpers to learn his job, but we’re looking forward to going novice hurdling with him in the autumn.

Dublin Racing Festival

This weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival is a brilliant addition to the calendar, and each year we look to see if we have any runners that are suitable for it, but the reality is it’s ultra-competitive, and if we take on the best of the Irish over there at this time of the season, we risk leaving behind our Cheltenham races.

Plenty of ours have also been kept busy in the first half of the season, often on testing ground, and so there are easier options for prep runs closer to home.

We love taking runners to Punchestown in the spring, so there’s definitely not an unwillingness to travel, and if we had a horse that was right for this weekend, we’d want to take it, but we also know we’ll be taking on the best of the Irish at Cheltenham, and the other spring festivals, so we just don’t want to run our race now and leave nothing for the spring.

Joe