ASSISTANT trainer Joe Tizzard reported Cue Card to be in excellent shape ahead of his rematch with Don Cossack at next week’s Punchestown Festival.

Cue Card was the beneficiary of Don Cossack’s fall in the King George at Christmas but roles were reversed at Cheltenham with Colin Tizzard’s star departing at the third last in the Gold Cup.

With Don Cossack absent from Aintree, Cue Card bolted up in the Betfred Bowl and fans are licking their lips ahead of the Bibby Financial Gold Cup tomorrow week.

“Cue Card has come out of the Aintree race really well and he was so fresh the following day that I couldn’t be happier with him. He’s not had a hard second half to the season and he seems in as good a shape as he has been all season,” said Tizzard.

“He was also in lovely form the day after the Cheltenham Gold Cup and bounced out of that race and schooled nicely before Aintree.

“He was in as good as form as he had been all season then and while I didn’t think he would be as impressive as he was in Liverpool, he sure ran a massive race. I think he would have won the Gold Cup.”

The Tizzards are also set to bring over Thistlecrack, the undisputed king of staying hurdlers after strolls at both Cheltenham and Aintree, and he will be looking to go one better than last year as a novice at the meeting.