Lostintranslation will be aimed at another tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup later this season, but Joe Tizzard is hoping the talented nine year old can continue his recent rejuvenation by running a “big race” in the Grade One Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

After finishing third in the 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup Lostintranslation spent last season in the wilderness, before bouncing back to form when making a winning re-appearance under Brendan Powell in the Grade Two 1965 Chase at Ascot last month.

With his confidence restored, he will now try to add to his tally at the top level by giving trainer Colin Tizzard a third win in the prestigious three mile prize, having previously claimed it in consecutive years with Cue Card in 2015 and Thistlecrack 12 months later.

Race sponsor Ladbrokes make Lostintranslation a 10-1 chance for glory in the Boxing Day highlight, which would tee things up nicely for Jump racing’s most prestigious contest at Cheltenham less than three months later.

Joe Tizzard, son and assistant trainer to Colin Tizzard, explained: “The boys are keen to have another crack at the Gold Cup as he is good in the spring. Possibly after that we could take him to Punchestown.

“He might go back to two miles five again in the lead-up to Cheltenham in the Ascot Chase as he was running over that sort of trip as a novice chaser until we went 3m 1f at Aintree.

“Before we start thinking of the Gold Cup though we need to concentrate on the steps getting there starting with the King George, ground permitting.”

Although Lostintranslation was pulled-up in the last two renewals of the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase, connections are confident it will be a different outcome on this occasion, should he take his chance on Boxing Day.

Tizzard went on: “He has come out of Ascot well and is in great form. You have to run horses when they are right and I would have thought at the moment we are on route to going to Kempton, but the weather forecasts are never accurate until the week before.

“Much will depend on what happens with the ground there over the next 10 days. He wouldn’t run on heavy ground, as simple as that. We shall do the five day declarations and decide from there.

“I see no reason why the track shouldn’t suit him. The last two times he raced there he obviously wasn’t right.

“He will only be running if we think he has got a chance of running his race. If he is good enough on the day, he will run a big race.”

Despite Lostintranslation not winning in four starts last season, Tizzard admits he never at any point lost faith in the Flemensfirth gelding.

And he added: “He had something underlying with him last season that we couldn’t pinpoint. He bled in a couple of races and was wrong.

“We were confident turning him out to grass would help him. We have also given him a hobday (wind operation) through the summer so we did everything we could.

“It was lovely to have him back at the top of his game at Ascot. Although he was receiving weight from Master Tommytucker it was a lovely stepping stone for him.

“I never lost faith in him to be honest and neither did the owners (Paul Taylor and Richard O’Dwyer). Any big Saturday winners are nice but we had seen enough at home to suggest this was coming.

“It was always going to be the right stepping stone at Ascot because we didn’t give him a slog first time out.

“The other option was the Betfair Chase but we felt the two miles five was a better starting point. He is not short of pace and he outstayed them at Ascot.”

Tizzard also had an update on Eldorado Allen. The seven year old made a winning reappearance at Exeter in the Grade Two Betway Haldon Gold Cup on 2nd November and was last seen when a staying-on third in the Grade Two Fitzdares Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon on 5th December.

He said: “It was a really good run in the Haldon Gold Cup and the handicapper then put him up to 155 and I thought he ran a real good race in the Peterborough. He made a mistake at the wrong time half way down the back straight and Brendan (Powell) just had to sit quiet. Then he stayed on nicely.

“I’m in two minds as to whether to go down the handicap route at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day or go for the Silviniaco Conti at Kempton. It will be one or the other. Two and a half miles is definitely his trip. We thought that would be the case at Aintree at the end of last season but he saw it out real good in the Peterborough.

“I’d like to think he will make into a Ryanair horse but we have to see what happens between now and then. I think he is running the best races he has ever run at the moment. I don’t think he is to ground dependant either which helps.”