Gamble paying off for Liars

Wright said: "He was one of seven we had picked out, and one of those had been no less than the multi-champion hurdler, Istabraq, who came into the ring four lots later. Istabraq eventually went for 38,000 guineas, but we were told subsequently that JP McManus would have gone to any price for him, and his pockets are somewhat deeper than ours."

Tiutchev didn't enjoy a great start with them and his first five races included falls and an 'unseated rider'.

Wright added: "We were thinking of getting out of it, but decided to give him another chance and a change of scenery, sending him to 'the Duke' David Nicholson's yard where he really grew up."

Tiutchev went on to take the highly prized Lanzarote Hurdle and was sixth in the Champion Hurdle, 11 lengths behind . . . yes, you've guessed it, Istabraq.

The Liars decided that as the Duke was due to retire and they liked the way Fitzgerald rode their lad, they would move him to the Seven Barrows yard of Henderson at Lambourn.

The gelding's novice chasing career began in the 1999-2000 season with four wins out of four, starting at Exeter, then Sandown, then taking in the Arkle at the Festival plus the Grade One event at Punchestown.

Wright recalled: "It turned out to be a year beyond belief, but you know what comes after the Lord Mayor's Show. Despite the Mitsubishi Shogun Chase, which he won at Ascot, it was a poor term by his previous standards."

The steeplechaser's lacklustre efforts were diagnosed as colic. This, in equine speak, is not the thing that babies suffer from but much more serious. It is a twisted gut, in fact, which can kill a horse.

Tiutchev was treated at the Royal Veterinary College at Potters Bar where horse expert Gabe Mahon sat up with the steeplechasing star through all his painful nights. Tiutchev initially recovered but then suffered a recurrence of colic and was forced to withdraw from last month's preparation race for the Queen Mother's Champion Chase.

It was a further blow for the horse who was a leading candidate for last year's Champion Chase until the restrictions imposed due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak put a stop to the Festival.

But his training connections have performed a miracle and got him back on course for the biggest meeting of the jumping year. What's more, there are plenty of punters who have been supporting him in the ante-post betting for the race.

However, the Liars know how to play their cards with an implacable cunning, giving nothing away and occasionally telling a few well-constructed fibs to put their rivals off the scent.

Wright said: "We've not been worried by all this betting on him at the last minute. He must have a cracking chance despite what has happened to him. It reads like a Jenny Pitman thriller really. But I can assure you that we have made our own investments and they took place when he was on offer at 14-1."

And do you know what? I actually believe him.