Irish point-to-point graduates have won the opening two Grade 1 contests over fences of the new season after Lostintranslation followed up the Down Royal victory of Road To Respect in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Colin Tizzard’s charge, who had enjoyed a season-long battle with Defi Du Seuil last term, ended last season by claiming his first Grade 1 success at his first attempt over the 3m1f trip at Aintree in the Mildmay Chase, and he once again thrived for the extra distance on Merseyside to win his third race on the bounce.
Patiently ridden by regular partner Robbie Power, the Flemensfirth gelding travelled strongly into the race to join the pace-setting defending champion Bristol De Mai at the penultimate fence, and having got away from the final fence the quicker, he pulled a length and a half clear of that French-bred, denying him a third consecutive victory in what is the first leg of the Triple Crown, in the process.
The winning trainer, who was winning the race for the fourth time in his career, laid out the projected path that the seven-year-old would take to the Gold Cup, and it will see him attempt to claim the £1million bonus in the Triple Crown, as he is set to take in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on St. Stephen’s Day, before possibly going directly to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a race that he is now the ante-post favourite for.
"The plan at the start of the season was to have a prep race, then come for this and to have a go at the £1million bonus, so he'll go for the King George next," Tizzard confirmed for bay who began his career by finishing fourth in a four-year-old maiden at Tattersalls Farm whilst under the care of the late Willie Codd.
"Whether we need to run him between the King George and Cheltenham, we don't know yet - we want to go for the Gold Cup.
"I've never had one jump better than this fella. He's just a lovely horse and we make sure we look after him as they don't come along very often.
"He's immaculate at his fences - he makes the right shape. He just got in tight to the second last and was in a heap. Bristol De Mai might have even headed him. We didn't know what he was going to find, but he kept going right to the line.
"He stays well and has got the pace for two miles. He's got everything in front of him."
