Under The Spotlight: 'Episode 2'- Cue Card | Horse Racing

My hand was sort of forced to bring out this thread in time for the weekend as he makes his seasonal debut, so apologies if anyone thought we might have moved on too quickly. As ever, feedback will be welcomed so feel free to message me at any time, and I will get back to you.

Under The Spotlight- “Episode 2”- Cue Card​

For a full index of all horses featured in this series​

[NB: Cue Card goes chasing for the first time on Saturday over 2m 3f, 4.10 Chepstow]

After Dunguib’s 2009 Champion Bumper victory that left people talking all the way up until the 2010 Supreme Novice’s, it was-we thought- always going to be highly unlikely we saw a horse make the same impact in the 2010 bumper. However, Cue Card changed all of that with a victory perhaps even more impressive, particularly when we consider the exploits of the 2nd that day, Al Ferof.

It was a win that was not just impressive in the sense that it was a decent enough field and that he belied his 40/1 odds that day, but rather it was the visual impressiveness that got people excited again. It is that visual impressiveness that I think forms much of the crux in the debate around Cue Card, and is a point you might find me coming back to not infrequently.

Anyway, back to his progression- he absolutely dotted up in a maiden hurdle before impressively cruising to a novice hurdle victory at Aintree, winning by 13L unextended. It is then that the key parts of his career so far began to unravel. He was tried in Grade 2 Company at Cheltenham, quickening right away from the field at the last to beat Dunraven Storm by 8 lengths. That was when it was clear we had a genuine Supreme Novice hurdler on our hands.

If you were to freeze time right at that point, and I were to have said to you ‘That will be Cue Card’s last win over hurdles’- I wonder how many would have said I was mad? But the reality is, Cue Card has not won since that day, and this is where it he puzzles me. He took on Menorah at Cheltenham, and looked to be travelling exceptionally well, just about to take the lead going for home before Menorah seemed to be in a different gear, quickening past him and Cue Card could not find the answers. It was such a strange race to see a horse travelling all over like the winner only to then find one take 3 or 4 lengths out of him in a matter of strides, almost a role reversal. Similarly, in the Supreme Novices, he came cruising up to challenge but just did not have the next gear to go and win the race, although still finished what is a highly creditable 4th as I think the top 4 that day are genuine world class NH horses- the cream rose to the top IMO.

Which brings me back to the ‘Visually Impressive’ argument. I think what we have with Cue Card, is a horse with an exceptional engine that takes him up to the top level, but that the way he travels and the way he quickened clear of the fields on his first 3 hurdle starts perhaps led to a false expectation, and that when it comes to pressure, he is a little bit green still. I wondered what you think with regards to reasons why he isn’t quite going and winning his races when getting in the positions?

Do you think there is a certain trip that he needs to suit him- is he a horse with good cruising speed but actually stays further and hence lacked the gear changes late on in a race against the top class hurdlers that he has faced so far?

I honest think this fella needs further. As I’ve said so far, I’m a relative NH novice so I can’t tell you what sorts of trips his breeding points to. But I genuinely think that if he can travel like a champion up until 2 out, and then stay on but only at the same pace, that you are really in need of trying further, where the gear changes at the business end of a race are of a far less sharper gradient. He’s hardly a failure is he- a close 4th in a fantastic Supreme Novices race before being put in his place by the really smart Spirit Son, so if this guy can jump a fence, how far do you think he can go?

I remember a lot of debate about his trainer last season, with one remark particulary tickling me “If he wasn’t trained by those Tizzard farmer b******s he might stand half a chance”- How far might that be true?

Taken from Racing Post website on 3rd October:

"I don't know what Cue Card's best trip is, usually a Champion Bumper horse can make up in to a three-miler but he has loads of pace," said Tizzard.
"We'll see after his first few runs and make a decision then. His jumping has never been a problem, he hasn't schooled on grass but he has jumped indoors and he's been brilliant.
"He's always been a good jumper and if the ground's right he'll run," he added.

Can Cue Card make a chaser- what points to him being able to make the transition and what would be your reservations?

What trip would you like to see him over, and therefore what would be your aim if he were to be successful?

He currently trades at 25s for the Arkle and 28s for the RSA on Betfair as it stands.

My verdict so far:
People say he has a lot of similarities to Dunguib. I think one key decision has been made already, and that is to send him chasing now rather than spend another year over hurdles, especially when the Champion is hardly going to get easier, with Hurricane Fly looking so dominant if fit. It gives him chance to develop a chasing career without being rushed and can be a gradual developer. He has touched 160 rated over hurdles, I think he has got a fair engine and I think he might line up in the RSA as opposed to the Arkle because I’ve a feeling Tizzard expects him to get 3m eventually.

'Can he jump?' is the first question, so let’s see how he answers our questions in the coming season.

Ante-Post at 28/1? Small stakes yes, because a victory on Saturday would shorten him as Silviniano Conti is potentially a big player in the Novice chase division this year. But realistically he is a more of a watcher for now.

Whatever he does, he is a horse that has always divided opinion, raised hopes, and indeed lowered them, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Let's hope he (and the rest of them) get round safely.

Cheers guys,

- Top

 

Hopefully the novice chase division lives up to the potential it has coming through from last years novice hurdlers.

For whats its worth i'm unsure about cue card, and always have been, but it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back over fences and possibly turn the form arond with Al Ferof who is as going chasing.

On another note one i am looking forward to seeing this year in the novice chase ranks is Quwetwo, the hurdler formally trained but Howard Johnson

 

Many people were raving about Cue Card- just as they were about Dunguib.They're probably the two most 'hyped up horses' of the last couple of seasons.
Yes, they were both very impressive winners of the Champion Bumper, but what advertisement is that really?
Firstly, most horses that run in Bumpers (including the Champion Bumper)are pretty mediocre.
Secondly, it's a flat race and that's got little to do with jumping- apart from the probability that a 'better flat horse' will turn out more successful than a 'poorer flat horse.'
Thirdly, the Champion Bumper has a very poor record of turning out future stars, especially in recent years. Sure, Montelado and Monsignor went on to win the Supreme Novices in the early days, and it produced one excellent chaser in Florida Pearl. There it ends.
It has never produced a horse that went anywhere near winning the Champion Hurdle.
So it mystifies me why punters keep tipping and backing Cue Card and Dunguib. Dunguib was a poor jumper of hurdles from the word go, and Cue Card looked very ordinary when pitched in against the top flight. It seems a classic example of thinking with your heart instead of your head.
No disrespect to TopClass but I'm surprised he has chosen Cue Card as his second choice for "Under The Spotlight."
Of course, Cue Card's hurdling exploits don't mean he can't excel as a chaser, but he's not for my money.

 

I think the case of Cue Card further heightens the point about why betting on novices (unless you know that a fixed race is in the mind of connections) re the Cheltenham Festival is so risky at the moment. He seems a horse without ‘a fixed trip’ at present and the question that I can’t answer is if he turns up at the meet where will he go – Arkle, RSA or even Jewsons??? Can any of us be sure???

If he hadn’t gone into last season with such a huge profile I think that Cue Card’s end of season report card would have been very strong (Grade 2 winner and placed in several ‘top table’ races) but because of the hype that surrounded him he is rather being talked down by some as ‘underachieving’. Still has enormous potential though but whether he makes it to the very higher echelons on the game I have my doubts. Personally, I can see the horse winning a few Graded heats prior to the Festival and again just coming up short from that point on.

Re the Arkle and RSA, by the way, I think that Mr Henderson has a very strong hand in both and wouldn’t want to be against his pair of Sprinter Sacre and Mossley at this stage. Both exceptional fencing prospects.

Re the Tizzards meanwhile I think this could be the term that they break into the old ‘Premier League’ of handlers.

 

Barney, with all Henderson's prospects...Riverside Theatre, Long Run, Spirit Son, Sprinter Sacre, Mossley, Bob's Worth, Finian's Rainbow,etc,etc, you must have trouble knowing which way to turn!
You must spend all your time dreaming about which is going to win what. Just hope your dreams don't turn into nightmares!

 

Cue Card, Cue Card, Cue Card.

A horse that truly puzzles me, he looked an amazing talent in his Champion Bumper demolition and then he went forward when the hurdles were put in his way but he then disappointed when stepped up in class. I am unsure whether to believe that it was the shorter trips and faster ground that caused him to perform under the expected level or whether he was just disappointing.

I personally thought he looked rather uneasy (possibly bordering on quirky) in the Supreme Hurdle, he carries his head relatively high and he doesn't seem to settle as well as one might like. He then did the same in his final run of the season.

That said, I do think chasing is going to bring the best out of him, he is a horse with plenty of scope and he perhaps needs to have something to concentrate on. If he is a clean jumper of a fence (which I think he will be - Tizzard trains them well) I can see him reaching the top level over fences. He has the speed, scope and ability to go to the top.

The long term goal for me has to be the Jewson, he looked like he needed further than the flat 2 miles over hurdles and I think he will prove too much of a stayer to go for the Arkle (although you need to stay well to win that race). I also think that the Jewson will eventually turn out to be the best of the Novice Chases of the festival and I think its the obvious end of season target for a potentially top class staying chaser like Cue Card.

Antepost? Not a chance, he is the sort of horse that will divide opinion on best trip and that probably includes his jockey and trainer. I also think that they will wait as long as possible to nominate a target.

Saturday will point us in a direction with him, and when we get the final decs we will see what sort of a test he will be facing.

 

Completely understandable, Tam I am being totally honest when I say I did have to think twice about Cue Card as a potential Spotlight thread. Just to clarify, whilst he is my second pick in terms of publishing threads, that does not represent how I necessarily feel about the strength of his chances or challenge this season.

The key for me is that he is a horse that very much divided opinion last season, but undoubtedly showed enough ability over hurdles to be at least worth a second look at over fences. The idea this week is that because of him making his chasing debut on Saturday, we could have a discussion that starts the day before the run and then we can develop those viewpoints after he has run for the first time, hopefully giving us some pointers as to what sort of a season this guy could have, especially if we are fortunate enough to keep the likes of Silviniano Conti in the lineup too. I just thought it would make an interesting change up from Episode 1 on QDLR, as it offered a chance to actually discuss a 2011/2012 piece of form after he runs on Saturday and means that it can keep the discussion bubbling into early next week.

He is just a horse of great intrigue to me and I like the fact that unlike Dunguib, they are giving him plenty of chance at a chasing career.


I think it will be fascinating come March to see what the eventual 2011/12 story was, because all of us are a bit hesitant to really say where he might be aimed at and undoubtedly the board will be at odds over just how this guy should be rated.

Hope that logic seems fair?

 

TopClass, very fair comments. Cue Card certainly jumped well as a hurdler and we'll see how he performs tomorrow over the larger obstacles. Whatever you think of his abilites as a hurdler, that doesn't debar him from achieving top rank over fences. If he does perform well tomorrow, then doubtless, as you say, that will keep the "discussion bubbling."
PS. I think Cue Card may be a horse who 'flatters to deceive.' When beaten last year, he seemed to have plenty in hand but then disappointed when let down. In fairness to him, that aspect may not matter so much over fences- if his jumping is good and the race is in safe keeping well before the finish.

 

Just confirmation of entries- Cue Card WILL lock horns with Silviniano Conti tomorrow, which is a great battle this early in the season. Le Corvee and Michael Flips complete the lineup.

And also it is the 4.10 at Chepstow, not the 3.35- my apologies

 

TopC: Firstly and most importantly very well done with the report, you have obviously done your homework and i can tell you will start enjoying the NH season far more than the flat in the not too distant future!

Cue Card is a very strange choice of horse but i can fully understand why you went with him. For me he will improve greatly for chasing (as will Al Ferof) as his size will assist him over the larger obstacles. Like others have stated the most difficult decision is guessing what distance is going to suit him best. For me you can forget the 2m route so the Arkle is out.

Personally i believe Al Ferof will be the better chaser of these 2 but there are numerous other horses out there who will improve past them both.

Great read and i will add more this afternoon.

 

ha - was wondering when CUECARD would be on here.
A super write up TopClass and I agree with the lot to be honest and I think CC will be an enigma full stop and may never reach his potential.
I think he's a stayer and 3m looks to be his trip, but we'll see how he progresses through the season.

 

I shall be succint with this one as I don't wish to offend....

Cue Card was THE most hyped horse of last season with people waxing lyrical about his defeat in the International Hurdle at the time. That, with hindsight, was an abysmal race yet I can understand at the time why most people thought differently. He then 'flattered to deceive' in the Supreme and was dealt with at Aintree in no uncertain times by Spirit Son.

No doubt he will attract attention this season (early doors anyway until he gets beat a few times in decent races) but I would be most dubious of him now. Al Ferof and co are much better novice chasing prospects and as Barney will confirm Mr Henderson also has a few likely contenders in this sphere.

Cue Card followers tread carefully would be my advise, I expect that, unfortunately again, he shall fall well short when the big questions are put to him...

 

Beefy, yes I think he was overhyped to a degree, largely as a result of how impressive he looked visually, even up until 2 out against Menorah he looked like he was cantering.


I wonder if he is stronger at Cheltenham? His record there is 1124 and he got much closer to Spirit Son that day than he did at Aintree. That's one of the postives I had noted down about him.


I think if we were to put the hype and hence the perceived 'disappointment' of his final two starts last year- would you take the bare form over hurdles as exciting now going chasing? He's not a bad horse to go chasing with, surely?

 

For whatever reason he didn't seem to get up the hill there in his two races last year when he looked the winner two out both times, which is strange as he duly bounded home in the Bumper there.... My thinking is therefore is that he's a bit soft and crucially lacks a gear so any step up in trip is a bonus. He 'looked good' in defeat against Menorah but we seen how that one was blown away when he faced real quality in Hurricane Fly in his last two starts of the year. So Cue Card for me will never reach the heights we once expected him. That form of beating Dunraven Storm looks pretty crap now too truth be told.

Regarding his prospects chasing he'll be in a really tough division next year as a lot of horses are clearly wishing to avoid the 'Hurricane'! Therefore there's a list of horses I'd fancy to have his measure chasing including Peddlers Cross, Sprinter Sacre, Al Ferof amongst many others. He'll likely win tomorrow no doubt but that Silvinaico Conti (spelling wrong) is another 'plodder' who run in that poor International race last season. Cue Card will have it very tough next year, mark my words!

 

Agree with Tamerlo about the danger of over-hyping winners of the Champion Bumber. I really wish bumpers had never migrated across the Irish Sea. Most of them are run at a false pace and who wants to see a flat race featuring horses more suited to the jumps ridden by jockeys more suited to the jumps.

As for Cue Card, he does not really seem to relish a fight and while he may well rattle off some novice chase wins in the first half of the season I can't see him being good enough to win at the big festivals.

 

Well done Toppy for getting this and your 1st article on to newsnow!

 

I know that Cue Card gets some stick from some quarters and that it was a questionable choice for me to put in to Episode 2, but I am really glad I did.

My aim with this series is to pose questions towards the board and to get honest answers from a variety of schools of thought, and if that requires an almost brutal honesty then so be it! Like I have said before, we are building a profile of a horse together and the opinions of racing fans is what re-enforces the way in which individual horses are looked upon.

I know some people think he is hyped, but I am genuinely looking forward to analysing his baby steps over fences tomorrow to see if he has the scope to be a success or not.

Remember I am not here to set up a tribute thread to the superstars of racing-I want to know the real feelings and ideas about various horses, with good honest debate and a lot of different ideas.

Thanks for providing exactly that so far guys, I look forward to more good chat!

 

Woolcombe, is that right?

 

That is right! Both articles are on the Top Stories column so well done, really fascinating articles so keep them coming!