VICTORY in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase last weekend took Cue Card’s career record to 15 wins in 33 starts and earnings of £1.2 million. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular horses in training and has fully justified the €52,000 investment made in him by Aidan Kennedy at the 2009 Derby Sale. This certainly appeared a bargain at the time as he had changed hands at the same company’s November Sale as a yearling for €75,000.

Bred in England, he is a son King’s Theatre and readers of this column need no reminding of how successful he has been as a sire of top-notch National Hunt performers. In addition to having a champion sire on the top half of his pedigree, Cue Card is the best runner to date for his dam Wicked Crack, a more than useful daughter of King’s Ride.