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.

Owned by Liam Queally and trained by Michael O’Brien and Eddie Hales, she won four times over hurdles, twice over fences and three times in point-to-points. A big race success eluded her but she was placed a number of times in Grade 2 races over hurdles and fences, including the Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow. Still breeding, her three-year-old son of Beneficial sold at this year’s Derby Sale to Kevin Ross Bloodstock for €150,000.

Wicked Crack is a half-sister to Whats The Crack and that son of The Parson was placed in the Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham. Their unraced dam Mighty Crack was by Deep Run and an own-sister to the smart chaser Good Crack, winner of a single hurdle race but a prolific winner over the larger obstacles, landing 10 successes.

Good Crack’s half-sister Suffice won the Listed Waterford Glass Handicap at Galway and she is the grandam of a Cheltenham Festival winner The Bushkeeper, successful in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Chase. Another of their half-sisters Possible won over hurdles and her grandson Pocket Aces was placed in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown.