Coneygree a possible for Cotswold Chase despite overreach injury

Coneygree could line up in the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on January 26 if he overcomes a setback sustained during the 32Red King George VI Chase.

Sara Bradstock, who works alongside husband Mark, Coneygree's trainer, was delighted with the way the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was travelling at Kempton before unseating jockey Sean Bowen two out.

“All the jockeys told me he could have finished competitively,” she said. “We were very pleased because he looked as though he was running on in the straight and would have challenged Native River in third.

Watch the King George VI Chase replay

“Even in his prime, Kempton would have been a sharp track for him, so it was no surprise they sprinted past him, but as he showed in the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2017, he stays on.

“Sadly he’s got a very nasty overreach and he did it again getting very close to one, which made him not want to go. He just caught the heel of his foot, but it’s nothing significant, there’s no structural injury, he’s just a bit sore.

“The Cotswold Chase is a possibility if it doesn’t look too strong, or we’ll look for an open handicap, maybe over three and a half miles, but first he has to heal and get back to pinging his fences – we just have to stop his long back legs catching up with the front ones.”

Coneygree returned to the track after nearly a year off at Cheltenham in November and carried top weight when finishing third behind Rock The Kasbah in a Grade 3 handicap.

Despite the 12-year-old being hampered by injury throughout his career – he has not competed in the Gold Cup since becoming the first novice to win it for more than 40 years – he has not lost any of his enthusiasm.

Coneygree: winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2015Credit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

“He is a very talented freak with very long back legs and he’s a bit fragile” said Bradstock. "His past injuries were fractures and stress fractures, so we’re very careful with him.

“There was plenty of scope, perhaps for a bigger yard, to give up on him before he had his great year because he’d suffered two stress fractures by that point. He’s been very difficult to train but at the same time, he’s a marvellous horse to have.

“Because he’s had injuries, he’s very careful, which in a way is a great relief to us because we don’t want him to take any risks. He’s been off the track as much as he’s been on it, so in racing years he’s relatively fresh and still wants to be a racehorse.

“It’s a real rollercoaster because he’s a wonderful horse and we’re lucky to have him. We’ve had a few downs because he’s fragile, but hopefully there’s still a big one left in him.”

Watch Coneygree win the 2015 Gold Cup

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