The Ladbrokes Trophy is always one of the most competitive handicaps of the season. Three and a quarter miles at Newbury is a real test at a track that takes plenty of jumping. It’s no surprise, therefore, that winners of this race like Denman, Bob’s Worth and Native River have gone on to Cheltenham Gold Cup glory.
It is also a race that has seen three winners at double figure odds in the last seven years so outsiders need respect. We have dug out a runner in the race who is yet to taste defeat at Newbury and is still available at 25/1. There was 33/1 out there earlier in the week which furthers the interest that the market has seen some nibbles.
Eighteen runners go to post for the 2020 edition of the staying handicap. Our tips for Newbury for the weekend will be featured within our ITV Racing Tips.
Three runs at Newbury, three wins for LA BAGUE AU ROI who bids to extend that sequence on Saturday afternoon. Her two chase wins at the track have seen her get the measure of Cheltenham Gold Cup third Lostintranslation as well as bet365 Chase winner, Talkischeap on both occasions. Talkischeap won that handicap off 145. the same mark La Bague Au Roi finds herself on now.
The first of those wins came on good ground which is what she will face at the weekend and it should not be forgotten that following those successes, she got the better of Topofthegame and Santini at Grade 1 level. It was tough for her last season against strong fields but she has run better than the distance beaten suggests this time around.
She was beaten twenty lengths at Perth but that was only down to sprawling on landing over the last. Four pounds lower than that mark will be her burden on Saturday. She then ran Cyrname to twenty-one lengths in the Charlie Hall. Turning into the straight there she was travelling better than Vinndication who is a fraction of her price at Newbury before she flattened out.
Five pounds better off with the Kim Bailey runner here and back on her favourite track should see her at least close that gap significantly. The second run following a wind op often gets mooted as the time to catch them and if that proves to be the case again here, she is a fascinating runner at a big price to attempt to make it 4/4.