JPR One © Photo Healy Racing
Joe Tizzard is hoping to continue his family’s love affair with the BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup after confirming JPR One will line up for the Exeter showpiece on November 8.
The Grade Two contest over two miles and a furlong has been a race close to the hearts of the Tizzard family, with Joe guiding Lake Kariba (1998), Flagship Uberalles (1999) and Cue Card (2012) to victory as a jockey.
The latter of those three triumphs was especially poignant as he rode Cue Card for his father Colin – whose licence he took over in the 2022-23 season – who also saddled 2021 winner Eldorado Allen.
Joe Tizzard celebrated his first victory as a trainer in last year’s renewal after Elixir De Nutz secured a three-and-a-quarter-length success under the hands of his nephew Freddie Gingell.
The Venn Farm handler aims to retain his crown with JPR One, who landed the Grade Two Lightning Novices’ Chase honours on his penultimate start at Lingfield in January.
The seven-year-old won on his sole start at the west country track, where he beat 2024 Grand National victor I Am Maximus on debut in 2021, and Tizzard believes Exeter is the perfect venue for his reappearance.
“We try to plan for the Haldon Gold Cup every year if we’ve got something good enough for it,” Tizzard said.
“I was lucky enough to have won it three times as a jockey, twice for Paul (Nicholls) and once for dad with Cue Card. Dad also won it with Eldorado Allen and for me to win it last year with Freddie riding was very special.
“The plan this year is to take JPR One there for his first run of the season. He won his first race at Exeter, beating I Am Maximus and he has always been a gorgeous, athletic horse.
“He won a Grade Two for us last season and probably should have won two – he was unlucky at Cheltenham (when unseating at the last). He is rated 149. I could have gone to Cheltenham for a two-miler last weekend, but I said from the middle of last season that I wanted to start off at Exeter with him.
“If JPR One is going to take the next step, he needs to run a big race in the Haldon Gold Cup. We can then look at the Tingle Creek and going down that route.
“He is knocking on the door, but still has to do it to take the next step. If he is a graded horse, he should put up a bold show off 149 in the Haldon Gold Cup.”
