Joe Tizzard will head into the Cheltenham Festival full of confidence after a big Saturday double at Sandown on Imperial Cup day.

Tizzard has enjoyed many great days in the saddle at Prestbury Park but is yet to saddle a winner at the showpiece meeting, with JPR One leading the Venn Farm charge in the opening day’s My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.

After breaking his Grade One duck as a handler at the track on Trials day, he will now return to the Cotswolds full of optimism after Rose Of Arcadia’s (9-2) win in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase supplemented Scarface’s triumph in the previous Betfair Serial Winners Fund Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Tizzard said: “It’s always lovely to have a double on a Saturday full stop, but the weekend before Cheltenham is just what you need.

“It doesn’t just boost me, it boosts the staff, the owners, everybody. If you are struggling to find a winner it’s a different story, but that will just give the whole team a big boost and we’ll look forward to next week now.”

Tizzard was delighted to see the 13-2 scorer Scarface finally fulfilling his promise in his two-and-a-half-mile test.

“He’s improved for every run over fences and we’ve always held him in high regard,” said Tizzard.

“He’s got his confidence and after winning, it was a good run at Plumpton last time (when second) and even better again today now he’s got his confidence.

“Hopefully he’s at the right end of the handicap and I don’t know what we will do next. We just saw this pot and thought we would have a crack at this and thought the conditions would suit him.

“We’ll just have a think now and decide if we go to Ayr or we could hold on for the nice race over a bit further up at Ayr. There will be some nice races for him.”

Dan Skelton gained compensation for Faivoir’s near-miss in the feature Imperial Cup when picking up Listed honours with racecourse debutant Honky Tonk Highway in the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

The 3-1 favourite had accounted for Ben Pauling’s useful Diva Luna in the pointing field and could now head to Aintree for graded action in the spring.

“Harry just felt the whole way round she wasn’t going and if you notice going through the wings of the first few, he actually sits down to hunt her along a little bit,” said Skelton.

“She has bundles of stamina and it was a very good point-to-point she ran in – Diva Luna who was second to her has won a Listed bumper at Market Rasen – so that was a sparkling bit of form in a point-to-point.

“When we started working this horse she didn’t exactly fire straight away and the more we’ve done with her, the better she has got. You saw there half-way up the run-in she ran around a bit, but she has a bit of fire in her belly not dissimilar to what Roksana had and the good mares like that.

“We would have high aspirations for her and whether she goes to Aintree or not, we will wait on the ground. We’ll keep her in training for it and see if it is appropriate.”

Skelton was another to register a double when Jet Plane landed a shock 22-1 success in the concluding betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase, while there was a rare jumps winner for Stuart Kittow, who saw his likeable filly Spiced Rum make most at odds of 13-2.

“We might go back on the Flat now, but she’s been on the go for quite a while, so I think when the ground dries up we will have to turn her out,” said Kittow.

“She obviously likes the softer ground. She took it up really easily and it’s quite stiff here and the softest part of the track is in the home straight. I think she actually jumped and travelled better where the ground was better down the back straight.

“She’s obviously still improving which is brilliant. She’s a nice dual-purpose horse.

“I have two jump horses, this one and Cornish Storm and he has been running nicely as well, so we’ve had a bit of fun this winter – makes a change from Wolverhampton at 9pm.”

There was a huge shock in the My Pension Expert Clarence House Chase as Elixir De Nutz battled back to beat Jonbon, providing jockey Freddie Gingell and trainer Joe Tizzard with a first Grade One win.

The race was expected to be dominated by Jonbon in the absence of El Fabiolo but he rarely looked at ease.

He jumped slowly in the early stages as Elixir De Nutz (22-1) helped set the pace, getting into a great rhythm under Gingell.

Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon eventually got on an even keel and coming down the hill looked set to stamp his authority on the race.

However, the 1-4 favourite, ridden by James Bowen for the first time, ploughed through the fourth last, almost getting rid of Bowen and losing all momentum.

To his credit Jonbon looked to have done enough to triumph heading to the final fence but he again jumped poorly, allowing Elixir De Nutz and Gingell another chance and they took it with both hands, winning by a neck.

Gingell is the son of Tizzard’s late sister, Kim, and is already in demand with champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Brendan Powell is backing JPR One to make amends for a final-fence blunder last time out when he returns for the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday.

The Joe Tizzard-trained gelding looked to be en route to Grade Two success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last month but made an error at the last and unseated his rider.

Connections will regroup at the weekend for the Henry VIII, success in which would be a first at the Grade One level for Powell after multiple placings throughout his career.

“I’m really looking forward to riding JPR One again as he looked like he was going to be an impressive winner at Cheltenham before making a mistake and getting rid of me at the last fence,” he said.

“This is a race that will take a bit of winning, but I wouldn’t want to be on any other horse and hopefully I can make up for what happened at Cheltenham on Saturday.

“I think I’ve been second in seven or eight Grade Ones, but I don’t think I’ve ridden in a Grade One where I’ve had a proper live chance, but this weekend I do and that makes it even more exciting.

“It is something I want to get on my CV, and it is something I want to achieve before I finish my career.

“To win a Grade One for Joe would mean just as much to me as winning a Grade One for myself. I think Joe was a big influence on me riding for the Tizzard team again.

“I’ll always be grateful to him for that and to repay him with a Grade One win would be amazing.”

Though the Cheltenham mishap was costly, the six-year-old otherwise ran a pleasing race and has taken to chasing well after a successful hurdling career.

“That was the frustrating thing as he didn’t put a foot wrong the whole way around at Cheltenham,” Powell said.

“He jumped and travelled and quickened well turning in. He has got all the attributes to be a good horse.

“He gave me a good spin at Newton Abbot on his debut over fences and I was quite surprised the price he was that day as well. He was seriously well handicapped that day if he came back to form over fences.

“The most important thing for our novice chasers is that they have a nice time and a good experience first time over fences. He did that and managed to win as well, which was a bonus.

“Hopefully on Saturday he should be good enough to be there, or thereabouts, at the back end of the race, then I suppose it will be then when we find out if he is good enough.”

JPR One could have been found the perfect opportunity to showcase his class over the larger obstacles in the SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

The six-year-old has always been held in high regard by trainer Joe Tizzard and the team at Venn Farm, but injury has hindered his progress and delayed the start of his chasing career by a season.

A winner of four of his eight starts, JPR One now takes the next step up the fencing ladder after a successful debut in his new discipline at Newton Abbot last month.

“He was impressive the last day and this is obviously a step up, but I was quite keen to keep him at two miles as he showed plenty of pace and jumped well at Newton Abbot,” said Tizzard.

“Soft ground over two miles should be ideal for him. He had a school on Wednesday morning and schooled lovely and this is the next step.

“He got an injury last autumn which held us up and stopped us going novice chasing and he’s only a six-year-old now, so it might have been a blessing in disguise.

“He bounced back and won at Taunton and then went to Aintree. He’s a strong horse now who has always jumped well. I’m excited about him.”

Champion Chase winner Put The Kettle On (2019) and Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge 12 months ago have both taken this prize back to Ireland in recent years and looking to join them on the roll of honour is Cian Collins’ Mighty Tom.

The eight-year-old had to settle for second behind Gavin Cromwell’s Letsbeclearaboutit in a Cork Grade Three on his chasing debut and brings some smart hurdling form to the table.

“He probably bumped into a Grade One horse at Cork last time and the drop back to two miles will suit him on Friday,” said Collins.

“The ground will be nicer on Friday which will be to his liking, it is just the 12 days since his last start that is the biggest worry. But I’m happy with him and hopefully he will handle it.”

There are only four going to post for the Grade Two contest with Jonjo O’Neill’s Petit Tonnerre and Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Homme Public completing the quartet.

The latter took on an experienced cast when making a successful first start over the larger obstacles on good ground at Wetherby and his training team are hoping for similar conditions at Prestbury Park.

“He definitely seemed to improve for fences (at Wetherby), he just wouldn’t want it too soft,” said Greenall.

“He’ll take his chance and I would say he enjoyed the ground at Wetherby as well. It should be ideal for him.”