Resurgent Colin and Joe Tizzard team back on the winning trail after poor 2020/21 campaign

Joe Tizzard has admitted he had sleepless nights after his family yard's poor run of form last season, which coincided with the sad passing of his sister, Kim Gingell.

The Dorset-based yard had a terrible 2020/21 campaign by their own high standards, with just 37 winners and total prize money of under £700,000.

They are already just six winners behind that total this time around with over half the season left, and have managed major victories in the Haldon Gold Cup (Eldorado Allen), Colin Parker Memorial (Fiddlerontheroof) and the 1965 Chase (Lostintranslation).

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Assistant trainer Joe Tizzard - who will take the reins from his father at the end of the season - admitted last season was a testing one, on and off the course after losing his sister, Kim, after a short battle with cancer.

"It's about winners, simple as that," he said. "Last year was really hard work and it wasn't as if we could put our finger on it immediately and cure the problem.

"Other years if you have a quiet spell the horses will have a runny nose or a cough and you know the answer immediately but we weren't getting that last year.

"With everything that was going on in the world and losing Kim as well, it wasn't easy.

"I don't mind admitting I had plenty of sleepless nights over it and Dad was still here but he was also dealing with the loss of Kim and that was in the back of his mind as well.

"What you wanted was this brilliant season to lift everybody but it went the opposite way. It made it a challenge, simple as that."

Kim had often been described as Colin Tizzard's "right-hand woman" in the Venn Farm operation, while she also rode alongside stable star Cue Card on the gallops with Theatre Guide.

Tizzard also told Mick Fitzgerald that the yard's resurgence was no shock to him, having seen all the horses return fit and healthy over the summer.

"Then you look at this year, the horses are back fit and healthy so you knew this was coming," he added.

"We were confident that the horses were back right and even the horses that are getting beaten are running well.

"We have a great team of owners. If the yard are winning, the owners are happy, the staff are happy and I'm happy.

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"It snowballs then because the horses that shouldn't be winning run well and win for no apparent change."

Amanda Higgs, trainer's assistant at Venn Farm, added that it is more a relief that the yard is now back firing after a difficult 18 months.

"It's the relief I think more than anything," she said. "It's great for the whole team because it's a big team effort so to have these big days - you just can't beat it.

"It's great to turn the corner and have the horses look so well and so fresh.

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"They just look like they are thriving, their coats are great and they are doing the work very easily whilst maintaining a nice bit of freshness when they come out on a Monday morning.

"You can't ask for more and it's nice to see."