Cheltenham Festival 2026 | Joe Tizzard on Alexei's chances in the Champion Hurdle and what it would mean to trainer a Festival winner
09 Mar 2026
Ahead of this week's Cheltenham Festival we sat down with Coral Racing Club trainer, Joe Tizzard, to get the latest on his Champion Hurdle contender, Alexei, and to find out what it would mean for him to train a Festival winner.
Since taking over the licence from his dad at Venn Farm a few years, Joe has gone on to train over 200 winners, however, none of them have come at the Cheltenham Festival.
Last year the closest Joe came to a winner was with The Changing Man, who finished second in the Ultima Handicap Chase behind Myretown. Fast forward to this week, and Joe heads to the opening day with Alexei and First Confession, who both certainly deserve respect in the Champion Hurdle and National Hunt Challenge Cup.
Tune in to our latest video with Joe to hear what he has to say ahead of day one.
Since taking over the licence from his dad at Venn Farm a few years, Joe has gone on to train over 200 winners, however, none of them have come at the Cheltenham Festival.
Last year the closest Joe came to a winner was with The Changing Man, who finished second in the Ultima Handicap Chase behind Myretown. Fast forward to this week, and Joe heads to the opening day with Alexei and First Confession, who both certainly deserve respect in the Champion Hurdle and National Hunt Challenge Cup.
Tune in to our latest video with Joe to hear what he has to say ahead of day one.
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