Lostintranslation made new Gold Cup favourite after Betfair Chase brilliance

Talent is never enough on its own. Success at the highest level needs heart for the fight and the stamina to see things out to the bitter end, no matter how hard it gets.

Stylish flashiness is all very well but grit and determination count for just as much, whether you are a Test Match batsman or a staying chaser.

And Lostintranslation showed he has the stamina of a Geoffrey Boycott to go with the talent of a Ben Stokes as he secured his second top-level victory in the Betfair Chase.

He had been a hugely promising novice last term, hailed as "a dream horse" by Colin Tizzard after scoring at Aintree in April, and had readily dismissed second-season chasers on his comeback at Carlisle.

Watch: Robbie Power stalks the field aboard Lostintranslation before pouncing to win

However Bristol De Mai is no wet-behind-the-ears sophomore. He had won the first Grade 1 race of the British jumps season for the last two years and had never been beaten at Haydock, landing his four starts at the Merseyside track by a combined total of 115 lengths.

That was what Lostintranslation was up against as he threw down a challenge to his fellow 5-4 joint-favourite at the second-last fence, and for a stride or two it appeared they may be as hard to split on the course as they had proved to be in the betting ring.

Lostintranslation (left) and Bristol De Mai battle out a thrilling finish in the Betfair ChaseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

But the seven-year-old, who had jumped with his customary elan and travelled strongly to get into contention, answered Robbie Power's request for extra effort and stuck on gutsily to dethrone the local champion by a length and a half.

"We've seen two sides of him today," said Tizzard. "He travelled beautifully and jumped immaculately but after the second-last I thought 'this is not put to bed yet' and he had to stay. I think we outstayed Bristol De Mai and we saw another side to this horse. He's a fantastic creature.

"You don't know what he's going to find, do you? It's all right Robbie riding a waiting race but we didn't know he was going to find all that and he did in the end, he kept going all the way to the line and he looked a thorough stayer.

"It was only two years ago that Bristol De Mai beat Cue Card 57 lengths and he beat everything out of sight, so this is definitely his track so to beat him today is a feather in our horse's cap."

Winning connections celebrate Lostintranslation's Betfair Chase successCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Power added: "That was fantastic. It was no secret how much we thought of him but today was D-Day, he was stepping into the big boys' league and they don't come much bigger than Bristol De Mai round Haydock.

"We were going to find out plenty today about his Gold Cup credentials and I think the horse has done the talking, he's answered what we thought of him."

But the jockey blamed himself for making things harder than he needed to and said: "It was my own fault turning it, I forgot how many gears he has and I should have just waited a bit longer but I got into a battle with a dour stayer too soon. To be fair to the horse he's dug deep and showed that he really does stay well."

Triple crown bid

The Ladbrokes King George VI Chase and Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup – after a possible prep race – beckon, with a £1 million bonus on offer if he can land both showpiece events.

Tizzard has won both those races in recent seasons with Cue Card, Thistlecrack and Native River yet reckons none of that trio is better over fences than Lostintranslation.

"I don't know if we've had one jump better than him," the trainer said. "He was immaculate at his fences, he was long and he makes the right shape. He's a lovely horse and we've got to make sure we look after him because they don't come along very often.

"He's got the pace and he can jump, we just need to make sure we get him on top form for those two or three races to come."

Power likened the winner to the horse on whom he won the 2017 Gold Cup and said: "Sizing John was very good, they don't come much better than him, but Lostintranslation has a lot of similarities to him. He has a great cruising speed and he jumps so well – they are the two main attributes you need in a Gold Cup contender and he has both."

Bristol De Mai needed it

Nigel Twiston-Davies felt fitness contributed to Bristol De Mai's defeat and said: "He ran an absolute blinder and probably just needed the race whereas the winner didn't.

"He looked like he was going to win at the second-last but didn't get home, and the good ground was against us. He's been superb here and it's no disgrace. He'll be better for the run but having not won this, we probably won't go to Kempton now."

Bryony Frost was 25 lengths further away in third on Frodon and said: "He's run his heart out like he always does. He jumped brilliantly against two good horses. In Grade 1s, three miles might just be stretching him slightly and over a shorter distance he can use his jumping better."

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