3 minute read
Gold Cup hopeful begins campaign with promising win.
Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Lostintranslation made the perfect start to his campaign with a dominant victory in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle.
Despite winning just two of his six novice chases last term, Colin Tizzard's charge mixed it at the very highest level and could not have been more impressive on his final start in a Grade One at Aintree in the spring.
He had to concede weight on his return to each of his three rivals, in a race won by the likes of Many Clouds (2014) and Waiting Patiently (2017) in recent years, but Lostintranslation was still a prohibitively priced 1-2 favourite in Cumbria – and the result was never really in any doubt.
Sent straight to the front by Robbie Power, the seven-year-old jumped impeccably throughout the two-and-a-half-mile journey as his jockey steadily raised the tempo to keep the pressure on his opponents.
Count Meribel – unbeaten in three previous visits to Carlisle – did his best to stay with Losintranslation in the home straight. But the winner had plenty in hand and passed the post with two and a quarter lengths in hand, despite being eased close to the finish.
The 156-rated Kildisart was nine lengths further away in third, with outsider My Old Gold last of four.
Tizzard told the PA news agency: "He looked it (foot perfect), didn't he? You never know first time out, but he jumped well and travelled well – and that was great.
"He should come on for the run – and his next race will be the Betfair Chase at Haydock, all being well."
Paddy Power cut Lostintranslation to 2-1 from 7-2 for the Betfair Chase on November 23, with the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Bristol De Mai the marginal favourite at 15-8 to claim the Grade One prize for the third year in succession.
The same firm make Tizzard's charge a 5-1 shot (from 8-1) for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, while he is a 7-1 joint second-favourite for the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup along with last season's winner Al Boum Photo at 7-1.
Al Boum Photo's stablemate Kemboy is the 6-1 market leader.
