Cue Card controls Champion Bumper
Colin Tizzard’s Cue Card proved much too good for his rivals when springing a major surprise in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.
Sent off at 40-1, despite having struck in a Fontwell bumper on his debut in January, the four-year-old cruised up to challenge subsequent runner-up Al Ferof on the turn for home.
Once straightening up under Joe Tizzard, the trainer’s son, Cue Card went past that rival like he was stood still and bounded up the hill to score by eight lengths.
Having won the last six renewals, the best the Irish team could fare was third with John Kiely’s Frawley, another eight lengths in arrears of the mighty winner.
The winning trainer said: ``We haven't had very many bumper horses, but no-one expected to win like that.
“He pulled too hard and I thought he’d stop, but he’s obviously a very good horse.
“He looked like a four-year-old in the paddock, he was smaller than the rest and I was a bit negative before the race.
“He’s always done everything so easily – he’s such an easy horse to train - and nothing has gone wrong since the day we broke him in.
“If he was trained by Willie Mullins he’d have been third of fourth favourite.
“He absolutely sluiced up on his debut and he has done again, just against better horses.”
Tizzard jnr added: ``He's done it very well and we knew he was a lovely horse.
“People kept saying four-year-olds don’t win the bumper, and you start to get doubts in your mind.
“But I was confident in him and he’s travelled particularly well.
“The plan wasn’t to hit the front quite as soon as we did, but he had plenty left and he’s just proved what we always thought.
“There should be plenty to come as that was only his second time on a racecourse, so it’s very exciting.”
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