Coney glee for trophy hunters

You could be rewarded for taking a leap of faith

It may require something of a leap of faith to side with CONEYGREE in the Ladbrokes Trophy, but those that stick with the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero can be richly rewarded at Newbury.

Mark Bradstock’s 10-year-old certainly has plenty of obstacles to surmount if he to claim this Grade Three prize, not least the likes of the unexposed American and Willie Mullins’ favourite Total Recall.

However, Coneygree is a class act on his day and while things have not always gone his way, he is more than capable when given a chance.

Top weight is obviously far from ideal, but Coneygree has dropped a few pounds from his career high of 172 and that may just hand him the edge when push comes to shove.

Buveur D’Air will be going off a much skinnier price than Coneygree as he lines up in the Unibet Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, but it is impossible to pick a hole in his form.

Nicky Henderson is treading a familiar path here, having won the race three times previously, and Buveur D’Air will rightly be a hot favourite after winning the Champion Hurdle last term.

SELECTIONS: NEWBURY: 12.10 Cap Soleil, 12.45 Wait For Me, 1.20 Junction Fourteen, 1.50 Master Dancer, 2.25 Mount Mews, 3.00 CONEYGREE (NAP), 3.35 Overtown Express.

NEWCASTLE: 11.55 Act Of Valour, 12.30 Indian Voyage, 1.05 Coole Hall, 1.40 Acdc, 2.10 Buveur D’Air, 2.45 Ask The Tycoon, 3.20 Yala Enki.

DOUBLE: Coneygree and Buveur D’Air.