Cue Card (30 April 2006 – 23 December 2022) was a British

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. A specialist steeplechaser, he won fifteen of his thirty-three races, including nine at Grade I level. He was a leading performer in

National Hunt flat race National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

s, winning the

Champion Bumper The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four to six years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ f ...

at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

. He was less successful over hurdles but emerged as a top-class performer when tried over larger obstacles. He won the

Haldon Gold Cup The Haldon Gold Cup is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Exeter over a distance of about 2 miles and 1½ furlong ...

Ascot Chase The Ascot Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs (2 miles, 5 furlo ...

and

Ryanair Chase The Ryanair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 ...

in the 2012–13 National Hunt season and the

Betfair Chase The Betfair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles and furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong ...

in the 2013–14 season. He went through the 2014–15 campaign winless but after a wind-operation over the 2015 summer, he returned in the following season to record his second win in the

and won the

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

at the fourth attempt. He fell when in contention in the 2016

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

but returned to winning form with victory on his next start in the

Betfred Bowl The Betway Bowl is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 mi ...

Background

Cue Card was a bay

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

bred by Roland Crellin at Brookfarm,

Penhow Penhow ( cy, Pen-hŵ) is a small village and community (parish) just inside the eastern edge of the boundary of the city of Newport, South Wales, within the historic county of Monmouthshire. The name Penhow is believed to be derived from the W ...

. He was one of many successful National Hunt horses sired by the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

winner King's Theatre. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

, 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 was trained by

Colin Tizzard Colin Tizzard (born 7 January 1956) is a British racehorse trainer specializing in National Hunt racing. He held a full training licence from 1998 until 2022. In 2010 Tizzard trained Cue Card to victory in the Cheltenham Festival Champion Bumpe ...

Milborne Port Milborne Port is a village, electoral ward and civil parish in Somerset, England, east of Sherborne, and in the South Somerset district. It has a population of 2,802. The parish includes the hamlets of Milborne Wick and Kingsbury Regis. The vill ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

and owned by Mrs Jean Bishop. He had been ridden in all of his races to date by his trainer's son

Joe Tizzard Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

but, following Tizzard's decision to retire in 2014,

Daryl Jacob Daryl Jacob is an Irish National Hunt jockey who rode for trainer Paul Nicholls as second jockey to Ruby Walsh. When Walsh left the Nicholas yard Jacob took over as principal rider. He won at the Cheltenham festival for the first time in 2011 ...

took over in the saddle for the 2014–2015 National Hunt Season. From the 2015–2016 seasons onwards he had been partnered by

Paddy Brennan Paddy Brennan (born c. 1930) is an Irish people, Irish comics artist who worked mainly in the UK, drawing adventure strips for D. C. Thomson & Co. titles. He was a freelancer, working six months of the year in Dublin and six months in London.Pet ...

Racing career

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 Fontwell Park Racecourse is a horse racing course located in the village of Fontwell in West Sussex, England, owned by ARC Racing. It features an oval hurdles course. Fontwell Park was founded by Alfred Day who trained racehorses at The Herm ...

in February 2010, he was sent to the

to contest the Grade One Champion Bumper. He started a 40/1 outsider, but won easily by eight

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

from

Al Ferof Al Ferof (30 March 2005) is a retired French-bred British-based National Hunt horse owned by John Hales. He was initially trained by Barry Murphy in wexford for Martin Timothy Murphy. He was then trained by Paul Nicholls (horse racing), Paul Ni ...

Hurdles

In the following season, Cue Card campaigned in Novice hurdle races and won two of his five races including the Grade II

Sharp Novices' Hurdle The Sharp Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about ...

at Cheltenham. At the Cheltenham Festival he started 7/4 favourite for the

Supreme Novices' Hurdle The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of a ...

but finished fourth behind Al Ferof, Spirit Son and

Sprinter Sacre Sprinter Sacre (foaled 23 April 2006), is a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français racehorse. He currently has the third highest ever Timeform steeplechase rating of 192p, behind only Arkle on 212 and Flyingbolt on 210 as their highest in ...

Steeplechases

2011–12 season

In the 2011–12 season, Cue Card raced in Novice chases. His two wins of the season came at

Chepstow Racecourse Chepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing racecourse, course located just north of the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley and close to the border with England. It is one of 16 racecourses op ...

in October, and at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...

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 Bobs Worth (21 May 2005 – 20 January 2022) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in 2011, the RSA Chase in 2012 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2013 at the Cheltenham Festival, m ...

in the

Berkshire Novices' Chase The Berkshire Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury, Berkshire, over a distance of about 2 miles ...

and finished second to Sprinter Sacre in the

Arkle Challenge Trophy The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham, England, over a dista ...

2012–13 season

Cue Card began his next season in the Grade II Haldon Gold Cup at

Exeter Racecourse Exeter Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located near the city of Exeter, Devon, England. Locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the Haldon Hills. Until the early 1990s it was officially known as ...

. 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

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has of ...

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 economics, the long-run is a theoretical concept in which all markets are in equilibrium, and all prices and quantities have fully adjusted and are in equilibrium. The long-run contrasts with the short-run, in which there are some constraints an ...

. 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 The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onli ...

. 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 The Melling Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Marsh Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintr ...

at Aintree.

2013–14 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 Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield ...

and started at odds of 9/1 against a field which included Bobs Worth, Long Run,

Tidal Bay Tidal Bay is an Irish bred Bay gelding Thoroughbred race horse foaled on 12 May 2001. He was the winner of three Grade 1 jumps races, the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Maghull Novices' Chase in 2008 as well as the Lexus Chase in 2012. Train ...

and

Silviniaco Conti Silviniaco Conti (14 April 2006 – 9 April 2018) was a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français horse racing, racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. After winning several important races over Hurdling (horse race), hurdles he emerge ...

. 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 An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

examinations revealed that the gelding had in fact sustained a stress fracture to his

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

2014–15 season

Cue Card returned for the 2014–15 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 Don Cossacks (russian: Донские казаки, Donskie kazaki) or Donians (russian: донцы, dontsy) are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (russian: До� ...

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 The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 ya ...

2015–16 season

On 31 October 2015, Cue Card made his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 2

Charlie Hall Chase The Charlie Hall Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in England which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Wetherby over a distance of about 3 miles (3 miles and 45 y ...

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 and 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

from the last year winner

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 Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

2015 Cue Card continued his improved form of the season and displayed a career best performance to take the

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 /Ladbrokes Trophy The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...

. 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

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

. His next race was after a three months break being sent straight for the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

in which he was bidding for the Stayers Chase Triple Crown £1 million bonus. He started the second favourite behind

, in a field which also included the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Gold Cup runners-up

Djakadam Djakadam (foaled 12 May 2009) is a French-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. Background Djakadam is a bay gelding bred in France by Richard Corveller. He was sired by Saint des Saints, a top class Fren ...

and On His Own and also the 2015

Hennessy Gold Cup /Ladbrokes Trophy The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...

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 Betfred Bowl Chase at Aintree a few weeks later when going off the odds on favourite, he was an impressive winner with Don Poli in second and Djakadam in third. His last appearance of the season came at Punchestown three weeks later on 27 April when again he was the odds on favourite. However, he could only manage fourth place to Carlingford Lough who won the Punchestown Gold Cup at 12/1.

2016–17 season

On 29 October 2016, Cue Card made his seasonal debut in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and was sent off the odds on favourite. Disappointingly, he was only third to Irish Cavalier who won at 16/1. Cue Card's second reappearance was in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on 19 November when he beat Coneygree by an impressive 15 lengths. His next outing was to try and defend his crown at Kempton for the King George. However, Thistlecrack who was still a novice was far too good for him on the day. Cue Card had one more race before the Gold Cup and that was in the Betfair Ascot Chase when he was sent of the 4/9 favourite. It was a dominant performance and the winning margin was 15 lengths. In the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Gold Cup, Cue Card was the 9/2 third favourite but unfortunately Cue Card fell three out in a repeat from the previous year. The commentator remarked that he was not going as well as the year before. His final appearance of the season was in the Betway Bowl Chase at Aintree. Starting as the 2/1 favourite Cue Card was narrowly held by Teafortwo.

2017–18 season

On 15 March 2018, Cue Card was pulled up in the

at the Cheltenham Festival. Trainer Colin Tizzard said that there would be no immediate decision of whether the horse would now be retired.

Death

Cue Card died following a heart attack on 23 December 2022, at the age of 16.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist

External links

Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Cue Card'' 2006 racehorse births 2022 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 21-a Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Cheltenham Festival winners Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom