CONEYGREE INJURY BLOW

Plans to run Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree in the Hennessy Gold Cup on saturday week have been thrown into doubt after the gelding picked up a minor foot injury.

The prestigious newbury handicap had been the first big target of the season set by trainer Mark Bradstock (right) after his eight-year-old easily won his comeback race at sandown earlier this month. Unless Coneygree is fit enough to have a serious work-out this saturday, plans will have to be shuffled.

Bradstock’s wife and assistant, sara, said: ‘a nail slightly pricked his foot and he has spread a plate. These things can resolve themselves and it might be that by Wednesday he is back all-singing, all-dancing. ‘It’s only something very small but you cannot take any risks with a horse of his magnitude. We need to warn people as he needs to be doing a proper gallop on saturday.’ The prospect of Coneygree’s participation had heightened interest in the Hennessy, in which he was set to give Paul nichollstrained saphir Du Rheu 9lb.

If he misses the race, Coneygree could be redirected to the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing day but his owners would have to pay a supplementary entry fee after his name was missing from the original list of entries.

Bradstock blamed that on a ‘computer glitch’ in the office of their Oxfordshire stable.

Coral make the nicholls-trained silviniaco Conti, winner of the Betfair Chase in 2012 and last year, the 11-10 favourite for saturday’s race. The Colin Tizzardtrained Cue Card, the 2013 winner, is 5-2 second favourite.