Tizzard team scoop Sandown double

Trainer in upbeat mood heading into Cheltenham Festival week.

Joe Tizzard will head into the Cheltenham Festival full of confidence after a big Saturday double at Sandown on Imperial Cup day.

Tizzard has enjoyed many great days in the saddle at Prestbury Park but is yet to saddle a winner at the showpiece meeting, with JPR One leading the Venn Farm charge in the opening day’s My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.

After breaking his Grade One duck as a handler at the track on Trials day, he will now return to the Cotswolds full of optimism after Rose Of Arcadia’s (9-2) win in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase supplemented Scarface’s triumph in the previous Betfair Serial Winners Fund Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Trainer Joe Tizzard was in good form at Sandown
Trainer Joe Tizzard was in good form at Sandown (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

Tizzard said: “It’s always lovely to have a double on a Saturday full stop, but the weekend before Cheltenham is just what you need.

“It doesn’t just boost me, it boosts the staff, the owners, everybody. If you are struggling to find a winner it’s a different story, but that will just give the whole team a big boost and we’ll look forward to next week now.”

Tizzard was delighted to see the 13-2 scorer Scarface finally fulfilling his promise in his two-and-a-half-mile test.

“He’s improved for every run over fences and we’ve always held him in high regard,” said Tizzard.

“He’s got his confidence and after winning, it was a good run at Plumpton last time (when second) and even better again today now he’s got his confidence.

“Hopefully he’s at the right end of the handicap and I don’t know what we will do next. We just saw this pot and thought we would have a crack at this and thought the conditions would suit him.

“We’ll just have a think now and decide if we go to Ayr or we could hold on for the nice race over a bit further up at Ayr. There will be some nice races for him.”

Dan Skelton gained compensation for Faivoir’s near-miss in the feature Imperial Cup when picking up Listed honours with racecourse debutant Honky Tonk Highway in the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

Honky Tonk Highway (left) in winning action at Sandown
Honky Tonk Highway (left) in winning action at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)

The 3-1 favourite had accounted for Ben Pauling’s useful Diva Luna in the pointing field and could now head to Aintree for graded action in the spring.

“Harry just felt the whole way round she wasn’t going and if you notice going through the wings of the first few, he actually sits down to hunt her along a little bit,” said Skelton.

“She has bundles of stamina and it was a very good point-to-point she ran in – Diva Luna who was second to her has won a Listed bumper at Market Rasen – so that was a sparkling bit of form in a point-to-point.

“When we started working this horse she didn’t exactly fire straight away and the more we’ve done with her, the better she has got. You saw there half-way up the run-in she ran around a bit, but she has a bit of fire in her belly not dissimilar to what Roksana had and the good mares like that.

“We would have high aspirations for her and whether she goes to Aintree or not, we will wait on the ground. We’ll keep her in training for it and see if it is appropriate.”

Skelton was another to register a double when Jet Plane landed a shock 22-1 success in the concluding betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase, while there was a rare jumps winner for Stuart Kittow, who saw his likeable filly Spiced Rum make most at odds of 13-2.

Spiced Rum winning the Betfair Racing Podcasts Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Spiced Rum winning the Betfair Racing Podcasts Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Steven Paston/PA)

“We might go back on the Flat now, but she’s been on the go for quite a while, so I think when the ground dries up we will have to turn her out,” said Kittow.

“She obviously likes the softer ground. She took it up really easily and it’s quite stiff here and the softest part of the track is in the home straight. I think she actually jumped and travelled better where the ground was better down the back straight.

“She’s obviously still improving which is brilliant. She’s a nice dual-purpose horse.

“I have two jump horses, this one and Cornish Storm and he has been running nicely as well, so we’ve had a bit of fun this winter – makes a change from Wolverhampton at 9pm.”

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