Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Cue Card is set to return to action next weekend at Haydock in the Betfair Chase, a race he won 12 months ago before his King George VI Chase success at Kempton. Cue Card made his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby last month in the Charlie Hall Chase where he was disappointing, finishing third behind Irish Cavalier and Menorah respectively.
Colin Tizzard's runner jumped well at Wetherby and looked to be coming into contention to take up the running with four furlongs to go, however, he struggled for stamina in the latter stages of the 3m contest, as the younger Irish Cavalier was able to outstay his rivals in the biggest win of his career so far.
Connections of Cue Card are expecting their horse to come on for that opening run of the season and he can be backed at 15/8 in the horse racing ante-post odds for the Betfair Chase. Those backing the 10-year will be hoping he can reproduce his run 12 months ago where he scored by seven lengths at the Lancashire track in a field which included Silviniaco Conti, Dynaste and Holywell.
The Grade One at Haydock brings up the first leg of the Chase Triple Crown in which any horse who wins the Betfair Chase, King George and Cheltenham Gold Cup will earn their connections a £1 million bonus. Cue Card was on course to seal the Triple Crown last season before he came down at Cheltenham when travelling well. If he wins in the Betfair Chase, he will most likely appear at Kempton again for the Christmas feature.
Former Gold Cup winner set for Haydock return
The Betfair Chase is set to mark the return to action of 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree who has not been seen on a racecourse since last November following his victory in a Listed race at Sandown.
At the age of nine, Coneygree has only had the five starts over fences, despite already winning the Blue Riband event of the Cheltenham Festival in 2015. Mark Bradstock's runner has struggled for injuries throughout his career so connections will be hoping they can keep him fit for another shot at the Gold Cup in 2016.
The Betfair Chase will be Coneygree's third attempt at a Grade One Chase in which he has a 100% record going into the top graded contest. The nine-year old put himself in contention as one of the most exciting chasers in the UK when he won the Kauto Star Novices' Chase by 40 lengths in 2014.
Bradstock's horse continued to impress over fences in his final festival preparation run by scoring in the Denman Chase at Newbury. Instead of going for the RSA Chase, the natural route for novice chasers, connections took a chance in the Gold Cup where they were rewarded when their runner held off the challenge of Djakadam by just over one length.
If Coneygree returns to anywhere near the form he was in two seasons back, he will put himself in contention to regain his Gold Cup crown later in the campaign.
