Don Cossack heads handicap for Newbury's star-studded Hennessy Gold Cup - but will he run?
With the weights revealed for the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on the third and final day of the bet365 Festival, (Saturday, November 28), punters will be looking closely at Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Coneygree's allotment of 11st 9lb.
The race over three and a quarter miles taking in twenty-one fences, was first run at Newbury in 1960. Fifty-nine entries remain - eight of them Irish trained. Cue Card has already scratched.
The weights for the famous £200,000 handicap chase are headed by Irish star Don Cossack (11st 12lb), but as they look set to rise by 3lb his trainer Gordon Elliott has indicated that the eight-year-old is almost certain not to run.
Likely top-weight Coneygree, trained near Wantage by Mark Bradstock, is the 9/2 favourite with bet365 after a towering 25-length victory on his seasonal debut in the Listed Future Stars Chase over three miles at Sandown Park on November 8.
The eight-year-old, still unbeaten over fences, will try to emulate fellow Gold Cup winner Denman. Denman defied 11st 12lb and a mammoth rating of 174 to win his second Hennessy Gold Cup in 2009, having also scored under top-weight for his first victory in 2007.
Denman's trainer Paul Nicholls, the champion Jump trainer, appears to be the biggest danger to Coneygree with Saphir Du Rheu (11st). The six-year-old made an inauspicious start over fences last season, but got his act together at Aintree in April and beat The Young Master (Neil Mulholland, 10st 1lb) on his comeback at Carlisle on November 1.
Nicholls' eight entries also include RSA Chase runner-up Southfield Theatre (10st 5lb), who was no match for Coneygree off level weights at Sandown Park, and bet365 Gold Cup victor Just A Par (9st 13lb).
Local interest centres on the Alan King trained eight-year-old grey Smad Place - sixteenth in the weight list at 10st 6lb and one of three King entries with Annacotty (9st 12lb) and Ned Stark (9st 5lb). On November 2, Smad Place won a chase at Kempton beating Fingal Bay by eight lengths.
And soon-to-be-local Emma Lavelle has an entry with Fox Appeal (10st 3lb.)
Many will be watching for Houblon Des Obeaux (10st 7lb, Venetia Williams) who conceded weight all round when runner-up to Many Clouds (Oliver Sherwood, 11st 4lb) in the terrific 2014 renewal of the Hennessy Gold Cup. Many Clouds went on to win the Crabbie's Grand National.
Houblon Des Obeaux returned to Newbury in February to chase home Coneygree in the Grade Two Betfair Denman Chase and ran respectably behind the same rival in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, coming sixth.
He is set to contest the Hennessy Gold Cup for the third time in 2015, having stayed on to be sixth in 2013. Houblon Des Obeaux made his seasonal reappearance at Ascot on October 31, finishing ninth in a Grade Three handicap chase under top-weight - and he has not won a race since December 2013.
In-form Herefordshire-based trainer Venetia Williams reported: "The plan is to go for the Hennessy Gold Cup again with Houblon Des Obeaux and he looks set to carry a bit less weight than what he is used to."
"I don't think the weight affected him too much on his seasonal reappearance at Ascot, but the ground wasn't really what he wants as it was a bit quick."
"He prefers it softer as when there is more give it just slows down the pace which suits him. He always seems to run well at Newbury."
Another favourite entered for this year's race is 2012 Hennessy Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth (Nicky Henderson, 10st 4lb) who won over hurdles at Aintree recently.
Hennessy Gold Cup - bet365 bet: 9/2 Coneygree; 5/1 Saphir du Rheu; 10/1 Vroum Mag; 11/1 Don Poli; 12/1 Don Cossack, Smad Place, Bobs Worth, Pendra; 14/1 Valseur Lido; 16/1 Dynaste, Ballynagour, The Druids Nephew, Kings Palace, The Young Master; 20/1 Sam Winner, Southfield Theatre, Virak, Fingal Bay, Monetaire, Ned Stark; 25/1 Menorah, Rocky Creek, Unioniste, Spring Heeled, Le Reve, If In Doubt, Just A Par, Benbens, Sausalito Sunrise, Easter Day, Urano; 33/1 The Giant Bolster, Houblon des Obeaux, Triolo d'Alene, Un Ace, Splash of Ginge, Ballycasey, First Lieutenant, Carole's Destrier, Cloudy Too, Present View, Deputy Dan, Theatre Guide, La Vaticane; 40/1 Fox Appeal, Annacotty, Lost Legend, Royal Player; 50/1 Seventh Sky, Al Co, Horizontal Speed, Godsmejudge, No Buts, Algernon Pazham, Cogry, Saroque, Mountainous, African Gold
The 2015 bet365 Festival runs for three days from Thursday, November 26. For more details and tickets, please visit the Newbury Racecourse website or call 01635 40015.