Mark Bradstock's faith in Coneygree remains undimmed ahead of Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury

Mark Bradstock believes that Coneygree is as good as ever ahead of the ten-year-old’s bid to shoulder topweight in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury.

Coneygree was pulled up after an early mistake on his reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase and must shoulder 11st 12lb and Nico de Boinville in the £250,000 handicap.

Coneygree has not won for just over two years, but ran well behind fellow Gold Cup winner Sizing John and Djakadam at Punchestown in April before being pulled up at Wetherby, where he overreached and suffered a nasty cut. After the race several riders complained about the low sun being an issue.

“Wetherby was a blip," Bradstock told Racinguk.com.

“What was so strange was that he jumped the first two fences like he normally does. I went in to the weighing room afterwards and Daryl Jacob and Paddy Brennan were both saying that the sun was an issue.

“Even Daryl [Jacob] said it affected Bristol De Mai, as he landed on one of the fences because of the sun but he still bolted up, didn’t he? We just don’t know.

“Probably his best race ever was Punchestown. To have such time off and to run a race like he did there was exceptional. He is showing every sign that he is as good before that race as he is now. Whether that is good enough, who knows?

“A lot of people were saying before Wetherby that we would have won by ten lengths if he reproduced his Punchestown form. That’s fine, and we didn’t. He overjumped, cut himself very badly and I was delighted Nico pulled him up when he did.”

In context of the fading star that is Colin Tizzard's Cue Card, who is now set to skip the King George VI Chase in favour of an easier assignment at Ascot in February, Bradstock’s faith in his stable star remains undimmed.

“People have got to realize that Cue Card probably picked up £50,000 (£42,932) the other day,” Bradstock said.

“I mean, HELLO! Just because Cue Card is not winning people then start thinking you should retire them. If they are bouncing, farting and having a jolly time then why not?

“Cue Card probably did not get the recognition he deserved at his height. He pissed up in the bumper, he won the Ryanair, he won the King George. To jump on the bandwagon that he should be retired? For God’s sake. He may well have ben beaten by an exceptional horse and what is wrong with that?"

Coneygree stands at 17.2 hands, and the trainer sees no issue with the lightly-raced, but fragile, gelding carrying the burden in Europe’s most valuable Jumps handicap outside the Grand National.

Two of Coneygree's five wins over fences have been shouldering 11st 10lb or more (PA)

Coneygree would become the oldest winner of the 3m1f214y contest since ten-year-old Diamond Edge struck in 1981, one of eight horses who have carried topweight to victory since the race was inaugurated in 1957. In all, 31 winners have carried 11st or more.

On both occasions when Denman won in 2007 and 2009 “The Tank” carried 11st12lb, as did Nicky Henderson’s Trabolgan when successful in 2005.

Whatever the truth of the matter about the sun at Wetherby, Bradstock has put Conygree through intensive schooling in the interim and is happy that his charge's buccaneering style from the front will make the 16-1 chance very hard to beat.

“We have a massive outdoor school and everything goes in there once a week. All 15 horses we have. Sara makes grids and doesn’t relate the distances to the fences.

“It is not just fences down one side of the school and they just go boom, boom, boom. They have to learn how to get their feet out of trouble. It is not easy.

“You talk to John Francome. He says that Coneygree’s advantage comes with how quickly he gets away from the fences. He lands and is gone.

“So we schooled him twice and then he went to Newbury the other day and jumped three fences there well.

“He has an incredibly high cruising speed. He jumps very well and efficiently and it gets a lot of horse sin to trouble. If you look at his Gold Cup, horses behind him like Many Clouds – it is that relentless gallop that he goes that gets horses in to trouble.”

Bradstock was at the launch of the Ladbrokes Winter Carnival at the Landmark Hotel in London where the new Ladbrokes Trophy was unveiled.

Francome was a guest at the event and has had the 2m 71/2f novices chase on Saturday named after him.

Francome won the Hennessy Gold Cup twice aboard Brown Chamberlin and Burrough Hill Lad and believes Coneygree and one of Nigel Twiston-Davies’ two runners are the ones to be on.

“Coneygree is such a good jumper,” he said. “When he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice he gave them a jumping lesson. I think it is difficult to see him out of the first four and I also like Cogry.

“It was surprise to have a race named after me but I am very pleased.”