Cue Card (horse)

Background

Cue Card is a bay gelding with a white star bred by Roland Crellin at Brookfarm, Penhow. He is one of many successful National Hunt horses sired by the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner King's Theatre.

As a yearling, Cue Card was sent to the sales in February 2007 and was bought for €75,000 by Aiden Murphy. He returned to the sales as a gelding in June 2009, and was sold to Aidan Kennedy for €52,000.

Cue Card is trained by Colin Tizzard at Milborne Port in Dorset and owned by Mrs Jean Bishop. He has been ridden in all of his races to date by his trainer's son Joe Tizzard but, following Tizzard's decision to retire in 2014, Daryl Jacob will take over in the saddle for the 2014-2015 National Hunt Season.

National Hunt flat races

Cue Card began his racing career in National Hunt Flat races, or "bumpers". After winning on his debut at Fontwell Park Racecourse in February 2010, he was sent to the Cheltenham Festival to contest the Grade One Champion Bumper. He started a 40/1 outsider, but won easily by eight lengths from Al Ferof.

Hurdles

In the following season, Cue Card was campaigned in Novice hurdle races and won two of his five races including the Grade II Sharp Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. At the Cheltenham Festival he started 7/4 favourite for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle but finished fourth behind Al Ferof, Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre.

2011/2012 season

In the 2011/2012 season, Cue Card raced in Novice chases. His two wins of the season came at Chepstow Racecourse in October, and at Newbury Racecourse in December when he won the Halloe'en Trophy by four lengths. He was beaten a short head when attempting to concede seven pounds to Bobs Worth in the Berkshire Novices' Chase and finished second to Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle Challenge Trophy.

2012/2013 season

Cue Card began his next season in the Grade II Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter Racecourse. Competing against more experienced chasers he started the 5/6 favourite and won impressively by twenty-six lengths. He was then moved up in class and distance for the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse on Boxing Day, but after making mistakes at the first two fences he tired in the closing stages and finished fifth behind Long Run. In February, Cue Card won the Grade I Ascot Chase, beating Captain Chris by six lengths: he led for most of the race and was never in danger of defeat after the runner-up made a "terrible blunder" at the final fence. At the Cheltenham Festival, Tizzard opted to run Cue Card in the two and a half mile Ryanair Chase, rather than taking on Sprinter Sacre in the two mile Queen Mother Champion Chase. Starting at odds of 7/2, Cue Card led from the start and won by nine lengths from the Irish-trained favourite First Lieutenant. On his final appearance of the season, Cue Card finished four and a half lengths second to Sprinter Sacre in the Melling Chase at Aintree.

2013/2014 season

On Cue Card's first appearance of the new season he was made odd-on favourite to repeat his 2012 win in the Haldon Gold Cup. Carrying top weight of 164 pounds he finished third behind Somersby, a Grade I winner who was carrying 147. On 23 November, Cue Card contested an exceptionally strong renewal of the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park and started at odds of 9/1 against a field which included Bobs Worth, Long Run, Tidal Bay and Silviniaco Conti. He took the lead at the fourth fence and was never headed, turning back the challenges of Silviniaco Conti and Dynaste before drawing away in the final stages to win by four and a half lengths. After the race, Joe Tizzard called the winner "a real Gold Cup horse", while a visibly emotional Colin Tizzard said "Cue Card jumped better than he ever has. He was on his game today, that's for sure." Cue Card started 100/30 joint-favourite with Dynaste for the King George VI Chase in which he led from the start and looked the likely winner when going clear of the field entering the straight. After jumping the second last fence he began to tire and was overtaken by Silviniaco Conti, finishing second by three and a half lengths.

Cue Card was aimed at the Cheltenham Festival with the Gold Cup, Ryanair Chase and Champion Chase being considered as possible targets. On 25 February, Colin Tizzard announced that the gelding appeared to have sustained a muscle injury to his back and would miss Cheltenham. Subsequent x-ray examinations revealed that the gelding had in fact sustained a stress fracture to his pelvis, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

2014/2015 season

Cue Card returned for the 2014/2015 season but failed to win in five races. On his return after his long absence he finished fourth when favourite for the Haldon Gold Cup and then finished behind Silviniaco Conti in both the Lancashire Chase and the King George VI Chase. He missed the 2015 Cheltenham Festival but returned in April for the Melling Chase. After leading until the third last he had no chance with the winner Don Cossack but stayed on well in the closing stages to hold on to second place. On his final appearance of the season he was sent to Ireland for the first time and finished fourth behind Don Cossack in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

2015/2016 season

On 31 October 2015 Cue Card made his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase with his trainer Colin Tizzard reporting he had solved the problems with a trapped epiglottis of which Cue Card suffered in the previous season, and duly obliged by returning to winning ways first time in almost two years winning by three-quarter lengths from a smart performer in Dynaste. He followed up three weeks later with winning the first step of the Stayers Chase Triple Crown and at the same time regaining the Betfair Chase from the last year winner Silviniaco Conti which had set a solid pace but faltered on the run-in with Cue Card finishing 7 lengths in front of him at the line. On Boxing Day 2015 Cue Card continued his improved form of the season and displayed a career best performance to take the King George VI Chase where a strong field was assembled, representing almost all form lines of the early season in staying graded races, including the winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup. Cue Card settled in the middle of the pack for most part of the race and only started to make ground on the front-runner Vautour —one of the leading novice chasers of the last season— in the back straight with the latter setting up a solid pace upfront. The two were left clear by the second last fence at which the favourite Don Cossack fell and an exciting battle began after the last with Cue Card catching Vautour with every stride. The pair finished in a photo finish and Cue Card was soon announced as the winner of the 65th King George VI Chase.

His next race was after a three months break being sent straight for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which he was bidding for the Stayers Chase Triple Crown £1 million bonus. He started the 1002.5 5/2 second favourite behind Don Cossack, in a field which also included the 2014 and 2015 Gold Cup runner-ups Djakadam and On His Own and also the 2015 Hennessy Gold Cup winner, Smad Place. In the race he travelled comfortably and was kept in touch of the leaders who were going a strong pace upfront. He was still in contention at third fence from home when he made a jumping error and took a heavy fall. Cue Card bounced back in the Betfair Chase on 19 November by beating Conygree by an impressive 15 lengths.