Can the famous chaser Cue Card become the first ever three-time winner of the Ascot Chase? That is what is at stake on Saturday at Ascot when he steps out to try and defend his Ascot Chase title. Trainer Colin Tizzard has amped up the belief that he could really be in with a challenge, putting out reminders of how well he likes the track and his previous success in the race itself.
Tizzard has said that Cue Card has been schooled well over the last week and looks primed for his challenge. Last year’s Ascot Chase wasn’t as strong as this years is going to be and Cue Card is going into this year’s renewal at a chunky 9/1 option at Betfair* (betting odds taken at 8:44 on February 14th, 2018) and that is partly down to the depth of the field which will be out on the weekend.
There are only going to be the seven runners in the £150k race and of them, five are rated 163+. So can Cue Card pull this off? The last time he was out in action was at the Betfair Chase when he finished runner-up, and by some distance too, to Bristol De Mai.
Betfair Ascot Chase Odds*
Top Notch 7/4, Waiting Patiently 11/4, Coney Island 11/4, Frodon 8/1, Cue Card 9/1, Speredek 25/1, Traffic Fluide 50/1* (betting odds taken at 8:44 on February 14th, 2018)
He is the contender who has all of the form and the experience in this race, having won it in 2013 and in 2017. He will be going into the race as the highest rated runner actually and the murmurs at this could be his penultimate outing. If his previous outings for the season are anything to go by, then he is a decent each way option, but he is going up the kind of quality that he didn’t have to deal with twelve months ago.
Top Notch Heads the Market
Top Notch is backed as the favourite for the Ascot encounter and he beat out Frodon over course and distance last November in the Christy 1965 Chase. He destroyed Double Shuffle into second place by eight-length in the race and let’s not forget that Double Shuffle went on to finish second behind Might Bite at the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. He had also given Double Shuffle 3lb in that race as well. Top Notch does have course history as well having won each of his three previous visits there and should be well in the frame.
Waiting Patiently made it five wins from five with a win at Kempton last month with a good time as well. The conditions will suit him at Ascot on the weekend and he travels well once he is up and running and he will be at the start line as the same rating as the outright favourite too. So too will Frodon who eased to a big 17 length victory over Shantou Flyer at Cheltenham at the end of January for Paul Nicholls.
Back at the end last year the 6-year-old Frodon had taken a third behind Top Notch at Ascot in that Christy 1965 Chase and then was beaten into second by three lengths by Gold Present back at Ascot in the Lavazza Silver Cup Handicap.
Coney Island’s course and distance win here in December is notable and will make punters side up and take notice of him. He will be seen as a future Ryanair or even Gold Cup contender down the line and it looks as if he should be in the picture. He had a run out at Ascot just before Christmas and won a non-competitive three-horse race by nine lengths and it’s hard to judge a lot from that.
Predictions
Cue Card is likely going to have too much work to do in this race to go and get the win on the board and make it a dream return to Ascot. Top Notch has a fantastic shot at this as the favourite and can deliver given his form. It’s a little hard to judge where Waiting Patiently is exactly at, while Coney Island looks as if he needs a bit more proving at the grade. So this is wide open but stick with the favourite. He looks the most reliable of the lot to actually turn up in form and deliver.
