Born in Sheborne, Dorset on December 13, 1979, Joe Tizzard is the son of former trainer Colin Tizzard, who saddled Native River to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2018. Champion conditional jockey in 1998/99, when with Paul Nicholls, Tizzard subsequently rode as stable jockey to the multiple champion trainer and, later, to his father at Venn Farm in Milborne Port, Dorset. He combined his role as stable jockey with that of assistant trainer until retiring from the saddle, with 700 winners to his name, in March 2015.
Colin Tizzard saddled his last runner as a trainer, Reserve Tank in a handicap hurdle at Chepstow on April 22, 2022 and handed his licence over to his son. At that point, Joe Tizzard said, “I’ve served my 42-year apprenticeship and it’s just going to be Joe Tizzard on the licence. That will change straight away and we’ll have our first runners next weekend I’d imagine.” Indeed, on May 2, 2022 Joe Tizzard saddled his first winner, Slate House, ridden by Jonjo O’Neill, in a handicap chase at Kempton with just his second runner in his own name.
The 2022/23 season as a whole yielded 55 winners, including a first Graded winner, Oscar Elite, ridden by Harry Cobden, in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot on February 18, 2023. Tizzard has continued in similar vein ever since, saddling 45 winners in 2023/24, 69 winners in 2024/25 and 47 in 2025/26, so far, at the time of writing. He opened his Grade 1 account on January 27, 2024 when Elixir Du Nutz, ridden by Freddie Gingell, downed 1/4 favourite Jonbon in the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham. Tizzard has yet to saddle a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, but believes the Champion Hurdle will bring out the best in his progressive stable star, Alexei, who has officially improved 21lb since the start of the 2025/26 season.
