For a few seconds after Alexei swept past the post, Joe Tizzard simply held the gelding’s nose in both hands and pressed a proud kiss to his cheek. It was the kind of quiet, emotional release that comes only when a promising horse finally delivers on the big stage. Moments later, jockey Brendan Powell allowed himself a broad grin as the Cheltenham crowd rose behind him, delighted by a performance that felt every inch the arrival of a rising force in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
Alexei, carrying the famed Brocade Racing colours long associated with festival success, travelled with assurance throughout the extended two-mile test on Carnival Sunday. Powell had him poised to challenge turning for home, and once the pair met the final flight on a perfect stride, the response was immediate. Alexei surged clear to win decisively by six lengths from Helnwein, leaving a strong field scattered behind him.
Tizzard admitted that he felt a touch of concern mid-race. “He can be a bit keen, and I was thinking he was travelling a bit too well going down the hill,” he said, still half-laughing at the memory. “He hit a flat spot going to the last, but to win a Greatwood like that—especially after going up 7lb for his last run—is a serious performance.”
For the Dorset yard, known historically for staying chasers, Alexei’s emergence offers a different dimension. “We haven’t had too many top two-milers, so I’ll have to do my homework now,” Tizzard added. “He’s progressive, and the ground drying out has really helped him.”
Powell echoed the excitement after completing a near 34-1 double for the Tizzard team, having earlier guided Triple Trade to victory in the Hine Solicitors Talking Sense Handicap Chase. “I needed wing mirrors out there,” he joked. “He’s got a proper engine. He travelled, he jumped, and there wasn’t a moment of worry. He hasn’t raced in front of a crowd like this before, so I just wanted to keep him rolling after the last. He’s clearly got a high level of ability.”
With that blend of composure, power, and developing maturity, Alexei looks set to climb further up the two-mile ladder as the season unfolds.
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