Haldon Gold Cup: Cue Card breezes to success

Colin Tizzard's Cue Card made a perfect return to action with a wide-margin victory in the Haldon Gold Cup...

Second only to Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle at Cheltenham in March, the six-year-old barely put a foot wrong.

Joe Tizzard set out to make the running and had the outsider Webberys Dream for company early on while Menorah jumped stickily in the rear.

Going down the back straight, Tizzard set Cue Card alight and the favourite responded with some impressive leaps.

Edgardo Sol and Menorah closed up turning into the straight, but Tizzard had given his mount a breather and he absolutely scooted clear over the final four fences to beat Edgardo Sol by 26 lengths.

Trainer Colin Tizzard said: "The plan will be to go for the King George and you really couldn't fault the way he did it today. He used to tank along, but he's not as fizzy as he was and coming out of the back straight, when Joe squeezed him up, he was gone.

"Watching him here, you would wonder why we would ever need to go up to three miles, but I suppose we will, and he'll go somewhere before (the King George). I haven't given that a great deal of thought, but it could be the Betfair Chase (at Haydock, November 24)."

The winning jockey said: "He was pricking his ears all the way up the straight, but gave me the feel I was expecting throughout the race. He's only a six-year-old, but that's the best feel he's ever given me."

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