‘It’s a race we target every year’ – West Country figures on why the Haldon Gold Cup means so much
Haldon Gold Cup day is marked on calendars throughout the West Country and the feature race holds great importance for local yards.
Joe Tizzard’s stable has won the Haldon Gold Cup three times in the last four years and he is in no doubt as to the race’s significance.
His father Colin won the race with Eldorado Allen in 2021 and, after taking over the licence, Joe landed back-to-back runnings with Elixir De Nutz and JPR One. There were tears in the Tizzard camp on both of those occasions.
Tizzard said: “It’s one of our local tracks and it’s a big day, even when I was riding in it. It’s a good prize and it’s a race we target every year if we’ve got one good enough.”
Richard Johnson was no stranger to success in the Haldon Gold Cup with four wins, making him the joint-most successful rider in the history of the race alongside Peter Scudamore. He understands the race’s importance both to the region and from a wider racing perspective.
Richard Johnson at the Somerset yard of Philip Hobbs, with whom he combined to win two Haldon Gold CupCredit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)
“It’s important for the West Country but it’s just as important as one of the big valuable handicaps of the season, especially for the two-mile chasing division,” he said.
“The horses are maybe second-season novices using it to step up to Graded class. It’s one of those races that has a fantastic list of winners and every year it’s a competitive contest. It’s a great place for horses to start their season if they’re looking to get into the Champion Chase category later in the season.”
Johnson’s first win came in 1997 in just his fourth season as a jockey. “It’s a great place to ride. I was fortunate to win my first Haldon Gold Cup on Viking Flagship when I was only a young jockey. To ride a horse like that around Exeter was fantastic.
“It was a little bit of a surprise too because he was getting a bit older and a lot of people thought he was nearing the end of his career, so it was great for David Nicholson and a huge race for me to win early in my career.
“It’s one of those races you look forward to and it really feels like it’s the proper start to the season.
“For the West Country yards, they’re great supporters of Exeter because it’s a great place to take a horse, whether that’s a novice hurdler or a top handicap chaser. It suits horses very well.
“At this time of the season, everyone’s excited and full of big hopes for the months ahead, and it’s always a great meeting.”
Read more:
‘He’s got to produce the results’ – can Kalif Du Berlais live up to the hype in the Haldon Gold Cup?
‘He could have more upside and he’s been in the form of his life’ – Tom Segal fancies one against the Haldon Gold Cup hotpot
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