Cheltenham Festival 2019: Elegant Escape on route to Gold Cup after striking Welsh National triumph
He could join stablemates Native River and Thistlecrack in the Festival feature
ELEGANT ESCAPE could be a surprise runner in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for Colin Tizzard.
The stayer won impressively in the Welsh National and may join stablemates Thistlecrack and Native River in the Festival feature.
Trainer Colin Tizzard has indicated the seven-year-old, yet to win in six previous attempts at Grade 1 level, will have a short break before heading to Prestbury Park.
Tizzard said: "Elegant Escape is now rated 159 and is only about 7lb away from being a Gold Cup horse.
"He might make a Grand National horse as well, because he is a tough stayer.
"We've just got to sit and think about it - but the fact is he has won at Sandown, won a Welsh National by outstaying them all and was second in a Ladbrokes Trophy, where he was the only one really finishing that day."
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Initial entries for the Gold Cup will be published this week.
Tizzard added: "I think his next race will be the Gold Cup, because he has had three hard races and we are only around two months away from the Gold Cup. If he had only had one run, we would have gone again. "