Cue Card third in Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby

Cue Card fell in last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup

Leading steeplechaser Cue Card could only finish third on his seasonal reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

Last season's Betfair Chase and King George VI Chase winner was well beaten by Irish Cavalier (16-1) and Menorah (12-1)

Paddy Brennan's mount (8-11 fav) was well in contention but struggled when he was called on for an effort late on.

The winner is the biggest success for jockey Jonathan Moore.

Trainer Rebecca Curtis admitted afterwards she was surprised with the horse's performance.

"I thought he'd run well, but I didn't think he'd win," she said. "He's still only seven and he obviously gets three miles. He's improving every season.

"There were a couple of blips last year, but they were when our horses were wrong. He did win at Punchestown.

"The more you race him the better he is."

Analysis

BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght:

If Cue Card was any horse other than the nation's best and favourite chaser, people would be saying this was a perfectly decent first run of the season, nicely setting up an attempt on race number two.

But as his trainer Colin Tizzard said in an interview with BBC Sport last week, when you get to this kind of level people expect more.

The fact is, it was first time out.

Remember too that his Wetherby win last season wasn't his best, and under the conditions of Saturday's race he had to carry more weight than the winner, so there's no need to panic.