Joe Tizzard: “We certainly haven’t lost any faith in Lostintranslation”

He jumps and gallops, and he’s a big strong horse who willmake a lovely chaser, but as far as this race is concerned, we just don’t knowhow he’ll run, it might be too big a step for him, but it might not be!

Cheltenham 15.30 – Elegant Escape and Lostintranslation

We run anotherpair in the Gold Cup. Elegant Escape is a horse who will always have tocarry big weights in handicaps, so it was a fairly easy decision to run himhere off levels. 

We do have one eye on next month’s Grand National for him,but if it comes up soft here, turns into a bit of a slog, he’ll be one doingall his best work at the end. 

We can rule out his last run, at Haydock, it just neverhappened for him that day, but Jonjo [O’Neill] has schooled him and they wentwell. 

He finished sixth in last year’s Gold Cup, and we’d bedelighted with a repeat of that. If he comes out of the race well it would beall systems go for Aintree.

Lostintranslationseems in great form at home, and we’ve also taken him away for a racecoursegallop. We did tweak his wind after the King George, and he looks amillion dollars. 

Unlike for Elegant Escape though, it’s a case of the drierthe ground the better for him, so far this week it has looked quite testing outthere. 

It is a wide-openGold Cup, and I’d be disappointed if Lost wasn’t travelling two furlongs out,and then we would be entering the unknown, that final two furlongs up theCheltenham hill. 

We have to put a line through his Kempton run, that wasn’thim at all, but on his Haydock form he comes here with a great chance.  Wecertainly haven’t lost any faith in him.

Of all theirrivals, Al Boum Photo would be the one I respect the most. He’s been thereand done it, and although winning back-to-back Gold Cups is not going to beeasy, Willie Mullins has given him the same prep as last year, he comes herefresh, and looks the one to beat.

Joe