Tizzard rules out Gold Cup for Cue (From Dorset Echo)

Tizzard rules out Gold Cup for Cue

8:17am Thursday 10th January 2013 in Sport

CUE Card is set to line up in either the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival after trainer Colin Tizzard ruled out a tilt for the Gold Cup.

The seven-year-old was a hugely impressive winner of the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on his seasonal reappearance in early November, but three miles in testing conditions proved beyond him as he finished a well-beaten fifth in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

While Tizzard is not ruling out a return to three miles at some stage in the future, Cue Card is set to come back in trip on his next start, but the trainer is unsure where his star turn will head in preparation for the Festival.

Tizzard said: “He came out of the King George fine, he looks really well and is back in fast work now.

“I’m going to speak with the owner next week to decide where we go next, but hopefully he’ll be out in the first couple of weeks in February somewhere.

“We’ve entered him in the Queen Mother and the Ryanair at Chelt-enham, but not the Gold Cup.

“In the King George, running over three miles on heavy ground against those horses found his stamina out.

“Obviously he made a mistake at the first, which didn’t help, and maybe if he had had a clear round he might have lasted until the second last.

“I’m not saying we wouldn’t try three miles again sometime, but on that particular day it found him out.”