The indefatigable stable star of Colin Tizzard’s Dorset stable since he burst on to the scene as a four-year-old and won a Fontwell bumper by six lengths, Cue Card has been one of the finest horses of his generation.
A winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival later that year, the son of King’s Theatre went on to win the Ryanair Chase by nine lengths in 2013 as well as procuring seven other Grade One victories throughout his stellar career.
However, after falling at the third last fence in this year’s Cheltenham Festival for the second consecutive time, the 11-year-old went to Aintree in a hope to heal those wounds with a victory in the G1 Betway Bowl Chase. However, despite travelling powerfully throughout the extended three mile contest, the gelding was in front a long time and was sadly reeled in by Lizzie Kelly and Tea For Two in the closing stage, eventually going down by a neck.
The eight-year-old legs of Tea For Two, whilst just as weary as Cue Card’s, had a little bit more in the tank and in a season where he has lived in the shadow of stable companions Thistlecrack and Native River, the pragmatist of Tizzard’s yard, the old stager looks to be potentially coming to the end of a glittering career.
However, connections are keen to continue with the gelding’s career over fences. Tizzard said:
It was a fantastic run. He loved being ridden that positively. We could just see Tea For Two travelling quite well behind us all the time; they were very close in the King George VI Chase [at Kempton on Boxing Day] and they were very close again today. It was a lovely run.
I know people say he’s 11, but he’s as good as he’s ever been. He loves racing. His season is done, he’ll go out in the field now on this nice spring grass. But after about a month we will start riding again because we don’t want him getting old. He doesn’t like the flies so we will have him in by day and ride him and turn him out at night. We’ll treat him like a king, because that’s what he is!
Whether he will be as good as his former self is doubtful but it’s still great that Cue Card is still able to run well in these big events.
