Colin Tizzard admits Eldorado Allen could get Cheltenham Gold Cup opportunity after Denman Chase win at Newbury
Colin Tizzard has left the door open for Eldorado Allen to have a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup next month after delivering a powerful performance to land the Denman Chase at Newbury.
The eight-year-old finished two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Royal Pagaille, while race favourite Clan Des Obeaux had to settle for third.
A winner in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter in November, Eldorado Allen holds an entry for the Ryanair Chase, but the Gold Cup could be fancied after the Newbury performance.
Tizzard said: “A flat track on good ground around Newbury and jumping the way he did, it played to all his strengths.
“Whether he’ll stay another two furlongs up the Cheltenham hill, I don’t know, but I’ll say it’s a good job the [winning] posts were where they were today, but that’s my immediate thoughts.
“Any race at Cheltenham is worth winning and he has got to go where he has his best chance. It looks pretty obvious that it’s the Ryanair, but who knows what the owners will want to do.”
Meanwhile, Venetia Williams, who trains Royal Pagaille, said: "I have to say I was delighted the way he ran.
"The ground made it more of a speed test, which Newbury is anyway, and I think he acquitted himself very well," she said. "He has been beat by the horse who is the speed horse of the race, stepping up, and I am very pleased.
"He has run on the ground before and it's not about whether he goes on it, it's about the pace and speed," Williams added.