POPULAR veteran Cue Card has been retired, assistant trainer Joe Tizzard has announced.

The 12-year-old had been due to make a final appearance in the bet365 Oaksey Chase at Sandown on April 28th, but he has failed to sparkle since being pulled up in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

"We've taken the decision this morning to retire Cue Card. He wasn't working quite as well as he can and we didn't want to take him to Sandown if we weren't 100% happy with him," Tizzard told Coral.

The 2015 King George winner, who has been on the go since his four-year-old season, will now be paraded at Sandown on the final day of the National Hunt season.

Tizzard added: "We will still take him to Sandown to parade him, and to celebrate a great career. He has been an incredible horse for us and now he can look forward to a new chapter in his life."