Ladbrokes Trophy Chase Tips, Betting Offers and Odds

The Ladbrokes Trophy has changed name a number of times in recent years but it is has been such a popular race over the years that it is still known by many racing fans as the Hennessy Gold Cup.

As always it looks set to be an incredibly exciting race and it’s one you will not want to miss. The three mile two furlong race is one of the most popular grade three races of the National Hunt season and it sees horses take on 21 jumps around Newbury’s left-handed racecourse. Read on for our tips and some great offers from the best racing bookies about!

Ladbrokes Trophy Tips and Odds

The Ladbrokes Trophy has always been one of racing fans’ favoured steeplechases of the season. Its historic popularity is made clear by the way that so many racing fans still refer to the 3 mile 2 furlong handicap as the Hennessy. The sponsorship of the race may have changed but it remains one of the biggest pre-Christmas prizes and 24 horses will compete for the winner’s share of over £140,000.

Expect a Younger Winner Away from the Head of the Market

Sizing Tennessee ended one of the long running trends of the Ladbrokes Trophy with his win last year. Colin Tizzard’s charge was the first winner aged over eight since Denman won a decade ago and the first 10-year-old winner since Diamond Edge in 1981. This is usually a race for younger horses and there are some cracking chasers with bags of untapped potential amongst the bumper field.

Despite his age, Ok Corral is the bookies’ favourite at a general 6/1. The nine-year-old has done some good work over fences previously and should be competitive off a mark of 151 but a recent showing over the gallops at Newbury was far from impressive.

With a favourite who should be taken on, this is a race which provides a whole lot of value but where does it lie?

De Rasher Counter Very Well Priced

Profiting from the Ladbrokes Trophy is not simply a case of backing the best horse. Although recent winners such as Denman, Bobs Worth and Native River went on to land races at the very top level, that’s not always the case with winners of this race. It often goes the way of a horse who is perfectly suited to the contest on the day with others who go on to have better careers missing out.

This year’s edition looks as though it will be one such race with De Rasher Counter poised to land a huge prize at generous odds of 12/1 with Coral. Emma Lavelle’s seven-year-old enjoyed himself in his novice chasing season and got back to work with a decent enough run over hurdles last month.

With that warm up run under his belt, De Rasher Counter can utilise his quality jumping and ability to run well on soft ground to get the job done on Saturday.

Daklondike Can Land a Surprise

Although long odds winners of the Ladbrokes Trophy are relatively rare, savvy punters have won some big returns from each way bets. Daklondike could be the latest horse to return handsomely at 33/1 with Ladbrokes.

The seven-year-old has had his problems over fences in the past. Before making a hurdling return earlier this month, Daklondike refused to start at the end of last season whilst he unseated his rider and was pulled up on a couple of occasions. He’s put a lot of work into his jumping under the watchful eye of David Pipe and should relish this long trip so may well be able to hold on to earn a place.

Betting Predictions

We have a potentially thrilling renewal of the Ladbrokes Trophy ahead of us with plenty of potential winners. Each of those at the head of the market has their own strengths but it’s De Rasher County who stands out as the best value option at very nice odds of 12/1 with Coral.

Previous Winners

2018 – Sizing Tennessee – jockey Tom Scudamore, trainer Colin Tizzard
2017 – Total Recall – jockey Paul Townend, trainer Willie Mullins
2016 – Native River – jockey Richard Johnson, trainer Colin Tizzard
2015 – Smad Place – jockey Wayne Hutchinson, trainer Alan King
2014 – Many Clouds – jockey Leighton Aspell, trainer Oliver Sherwood
2013 – Triolo D’Alene – jockey Barry Geraghty, trainer Nicky Henderson
2012 – Bobs Worth – jockey Barry Geraghty, trainer Nicky Henderson
2011 – Carruthers – jockey Mattie Batchelor, trainer Mark Bradstock
2010 – Diamond Harry – jockey Daryl Jacob, trainer Nick Williams
2009 – Denman – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Paul Nicholls
2008 – Madison du Berlais – jockey Tom Scudamore, trainer David Pipe
2007 – Denman – jockey Sam Thomas, trainer Paul Nicholls
2006 – State of Play – jockey Paul Moloney, trainer Evan Williams
2005 – Trabolgan – jockey Mick Fitzgerald, trainer Nicky Henderson

Ladbrokes Trophy (Hennessy Gold Cup) History

The Ladbrokes Trophy Chase – formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup – is run over a three mile and two and a half furlong distance at Newbury racecourse. Over the distance there are 21 fences to be jumped by the competitors in this one. This is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase for four-year-olds or older and has been ran since 1957, although originally it was held at Cheltenham for the first three years of its existence.

Until 2016, the Hennessy Gold Cup was in fact British racing’s longest commercially sponsored race, having been supported by Hennessy since its founding. Ladbrokes took over the sponsorship in 2017. The winning horse in the race’s first run was Mandarin, a six-year-old owned by Peggy Hennessy, a member of the previously sponsoring family. The same horse won again in 1961, the second year it had been ran at Newbury.

Amazingly eight of the winners here have gone on to win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, most recently this was achieved by Bobs Worth when he won the Cheltenham leg in 2013. Many Clouds over the last couple of years became the first horse to win both the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Grand National.

With the two victories achieved by Mandarin in 1957 and 1961, he actually jointly holds the record in this race’s history for the most wins for a horse. Two other horses have achieved this feat, Arkle and Denman. Arkle is the only horse to win in two consecutive years of the race with wins in 1964 and 1965, and then Denman being the most recent to win twice with wins in 2007 and 2009. The record-holding Mandarin, also has ties to the most successful jockey and trainer too.

Willie Robinson was in the saddle when Mandarin ran out victorious in 1961, and he was also the jockey in 1963 and 1968 when Mill House and Man of the West won respectively. These three horse on which Robinson was triumphant were all trained by the legendary Fulke Walwyn. Walwyn had a total of seven successful runners here between 1957 and 1981.

Astonishingly, he is just one of four trainers to have ever had one of his horses win in consecutive years, the others being Tom Dreaper with Arkle in 1964 and 1965, David Barons in 1986 and 1987 and most recently Nicky Henderson in 2012 and 2013. From a jockey’s point of view, there have also only been four jockeys to have won in consecutive years, with the most recent being Barry Geraghty who won on Nicky Henderson’s two winners.