Emma Spencer’s Cheltenham Festival diary: Cheer farmer Colin Tizzard till his cows come home

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Emma Spencer16 March 2016

One of the reasons I love jump racing is because of people like trainer Colin Tizzard.

In what other sport would a dairy farmer find himself on the brink of beating the big boys and grabbing glory in not one but two of the most important events on the calendar?

If Leicester winning the League would be a miracle, then a Tizzard triumph in tomorrow’s World Hurdle and then Friday’s Gold Cup wouldn’t be far behind.

Unbelievably, Tizzard, whose main business is milking his 350 cows in Somerset, finds himself with the hot favourite, Thistlecrack, in tomorrow’s big race, and the second favourite, Cue Card, in what’s the most prized contest of them all, the Gold Cup.

Tizzard, 60, only began training with a handful of horses 15 years ago, essentially falling into it so he could provide his jockey son, Joe, with a few extra rides.

Yet here he is at the Cheltenham Festival, rubbing shoulders with mighty trainers Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins.

Stunning images from the Racing Post’s award-winning photographer, Ed Whitaker

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Stories like this don’t really happen in flat racing, which is a bit of a closed shop for people like Colin; it’s dominated by billionaire Arab sheikhs and highly expensive thoroughbreds.

How, then, has he succeeded? By relying on good judgement, of course, and having a fair amount of luck. Tizzard spotted something in Cue Card and paid what, for him, was a hefty £30,000 for the horse but he has since repaid that in bucketloads with a string of major wins.

Compare that outlay to what powerful Irish owners Coolmore can splash out. They once spent $16million on a colt called The Green Monkey, who was retired without winning a race.

Another reason why the National Hunt seems to resonate more with the public is because the same horses come back into battle season after season. Whereas on the flat they’re packed off to stud after a couple of seasons, the jumps horses stay in training for years.

Take Cue Card: his first Cheltenham Festival win came in 2010 and his date with destiny on Friday will be his fifth visit in all.

Throw in the fact he looked finished a couple of years ago because of breathing problems — since cured by surgery — and it’s not hard to see why he’d be a hugely popular winner.

As for Thistlecrack, he’s evens favourite for the World Hurdle and one of the sure-fire bets of the week; he’s won three on the bounce and nothing should get near him.

If Cue Card can make it a double, they’ll be cheering from the stands until the cows come home.

Emma Spencer is an ambassador for 888sport and will be giving updates from Cheltenham throughout the week.

Join 888sport today and get Thistlecrack at 7/1 to win the World Hurdle.

New customers. Bet at normal odds. Extra winnings paid in Free Bet Tokens. Max £10. 18+ See site for full T+Cs Gambleaware.co.uk

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