Harriet Graham hoping it'll be Aye Right on the night in Ladbrokes Trophy

3.00 Newbury
Ladbrokes Trophy Chase (Grade 3) | 3m2f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

It’s a long way from Harriet Graham’s Jedburgh base to Newbury, but the trip back to Scotland is sure to fly by if her stable star Aye Right pulls off a famous victory in the Ladbrokes Trophy.

Graham could have opted for the Listed Rehearsal Chase at a much closer to home Newcastle, but it’s not often you get the opportunity to tackle Newbury’s prestigious event with an improving seven-year-old who seems tailor-made for the demands of a 3m2f test.

“We’re all very excited,” Graham said as she embarked upon the 700-mile round trip on Friday morning. “We’re going there with a positive attitude. It’s a very open race this year and you can make strong arguments for a lot of horses.

“Aye Right is one of them. He does have a realistic chance. We think he’ll stay well, and the extra trip at Newbury will suit him.

“It’s a long-distance handicap chase and there are lots of fences to jump, but it’s lovely to be competing on the biggest stage with a horse who has a chance.”

You need everything in your favour to win a race that’s been won by some of jump racing's superstars, and Aye Right still looks fairly treated off 150 after running an absolute blinder to finish third in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

Graham agrees, but is fully aware of the challenge both trainer and horse face. “We’re up against some seriously good, tactical trainers who will have had this race in mind for ages and been focused on getting their horses in the best possible shape,” she said.

“I think Newbury will suit him. We were delighted with his Wetherby run in the Charlie Hall. I was very pleased that he got good horses working hard a long way out by using his rhythm and jumping – they were riding some of them down the back straight.

“Cyrname is a magical horse and went past us when he got on his rollerskates! Vinndication is very good too. We were tapped for pace at the end, so I’m sure the longer trip will play to his strengths.

“My gut feeling is that he will keep on galloping and jumping. It’s very exciting.”

If he does pull it off, Aye Right will be the first horse trained in Scotland to land the Ladbrokes Trophy since Fighting Fit in 1979.

Resurgent Bailey out to break new ground

Kim Bailey has famously won a Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and a Champion Hurdle, but he has yet to break his duck in the Ladbrokes Trophy.

He came closest with Mr Frisk (1988) and Docklands Express (1991), who both finished in the bronze medal position.

Vinndication: finished second to Cyrname in the Charlie Hall ChaseCredit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

The resurgence of Bailey’s stable suggests plenty more big-race triumphs could come his way over the next few years, and he is hopeful that Vinndication will play a significant part.

There was Gold Cup talk about the seven-year-old son of Vinnie Roe before his excellent Wetherby second to richly talented Cyrname in the Charlie Hall Chase, and it would be no surprise if his form continued in an upward direction at Newbury.

Vinndication schooled over fences at Newbury at the Ladbrokes gallops morning in preparation for Saturday, but will need to jump better on the big day if he is to fulfil his potential and the hopes of many punters who have backed him down to favouritism.

“He didn’t jump as well as I’d hoped at Newbury, but he’s done that before so I wasn’t worried as he was very fresh,” Bailey said.

“We’ve schooled him since and he was brilliant. We’re putting a pair of cheekpieces on to make him concentrate because in a big field you can’t afford not to be concentrating.”

Vinndication has won seven of his 11 starts, three times over fences, and will race off 11st 11lb. “If he’s a Gold Cup horse, he has to run very, very well in the race off nearly top weight,” said Bailey.

The stable has enjoyed a sparkling run in October and November and, with 33 wins on the board this season, Bailey is already past last season’s score for the entire campaign.

David Bass, the regular rider of Vinndication, is also in red-hot form, having ridden 37 winners already which puts him in the top ten of the jump jockeys’ championship.

The Conditional is best fresh says Bridgwater

Last year's runner-up The Conditional gave David Bridgwater his first Cheltenham Festival winner when landing the Ultima Handicap Chase in March.

The trainer, who has made a quiet start to the season, wouldn’t be surprised if the progressive eight-year-old got him rolling again by clinching a first Ladbrokes Trophy for the stable.

The Conditional (right) duels with winner De Rasher Counter in last year's raceCredit: Getty Images

“He’s in great form and worked well on Wednesday,” Bridgwater said. “We had a couple of issues with him a few weeks ago – for instance, he pulled a shoe off – and I was in a bit of a panic about whether he’d be ready in time for Newbury.

“However, since then everything has gone well. He flew up the gallop this week and is best fresh as he’s a clean-winded horse.”

The Conditional’s owner, octogenarian Peter Cave, is a life-long jump racing enthusiast and enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime at Cheltenham when the horse stormed up the hill to deny Kildisart by a neck.

“I think The Conditional is a Grand National horse, but it’s always been Peter’s dream to have a Cheltenham Gold Cup runner,” Bridgwater said.

“He’d have to do something pretty special at Newbury to warrant that, but who knows? Peter is a proper National Hunt owner. He has hunted, ridden in point-to-points and when he goes racing, he’s in shock at just how lucky we are to have a horse competing in this type of race.

“The Conditional is a decent horse who travels and jumps. I’m looking forward to running him.”

Copperhead ready to execute long-term plan

When Copperhead bolted up in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot last February by 17 lengths from Two For Gold, he looked a natural for the Ladbrokes Trophy.

This second-season chaser blotted his copybook somewhat with a disappointing seasonal reappearance over hurdles at Wetherby, but the stable is in much better form now, a fact that has been reflected in the market over the past ten days.

Copperhead: looking to deliver Colin Tizzard a third Ladbrokes Trophy win in five yearsCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Team Tizzard have landed the Ladbrokes Trophy in two of the last four years via Native River (2016) and Sizing Tennessee (2018), and hopes are high Copperhead can continue their successful run in the race.

Joe Tizzard, son and assistant to trainer Colin, said: “He wasn’t quite right on his return at Wetherby and before that he fell at Cheltenham at the end of last season.

“However, he had looked nicely progressive prior to that and we’ve always felt he’s the right type for the race.

“He seems in lovely form at home, his schooling has gone well, and his work has been nice. We’ve had this race in mind for him throughout the second half of last season; in fact, at that time we were already planning how to get here.

“He’s a second-season chaser who jumps well and will stay all day. He’s got the course form too.”

Copperhead looked destined for stardom that afternoon at Ascot and confidence in the horse has not been dented by two subsequent defeats.

The long-term plan has always been for him to peak on the final Saturday of November.

What the rest say

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Secret Investor and Danny Whizzbang
The ground has come right for Secret Investor. He has plenty of weight, but is actually 3lb well-in after his Chepstow form was boosted. I think he has a great chance. Danny Whizzbang has to put a poor Wincanton run behind him. I wish I hadn’t run him that day now. He’s in good shape and when he won the novice chase at this meeting last year, I thought he had a big race in him.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Beware The Bear
He knows all about the Ladbrokes Trophy, having finished fourth in it the last two years. Technically, he's got to improve as he's on the same mark as 12 months ago and 10lb higher than his first run two years ago.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Kildisart
Everything has gone to plan. He hasn’t missed a beat. His preparation has been as good as you could possibly hope for. He goes there with every chance of running a big race.

Joe Tizzard, assistant to Colin Tizzard, trainer of Mister Malarky
He jumped the second-last almost upsides last season and I think his comeback run this time going into it is much better. The ground will suit him. He’s a good horse on his day.

Black Op: classy type has gone under the radar somewhat this seasonCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Tom George, trainer of Black Op
He had a nice comeback run at Carlisle and has improved a lot since. This race has been the aim since he came back in. We trained him for Aintree last season and that meeting didn’t happen, so Carlisle was his first run since Boxing Day. His form is very good. There aren’t many miles on his clock. There's definitely more to come.

Kim Bailey, trainer of Two For Gold
He has a very good profile for the race. It’s just a question of whether he stays the distance. My worry is he might not, but the ground will help.

Alan King, trainer of Potterman
He's fresh and well after his close second in the Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton and did a good piece of work on Saturday. I hope this stiffer test will suit him, but I also know this will be a hugely competitive race.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Ardlethen
He's good. He's had a run and I think that's important for the race. He's at the low end of the handicap and doesn't have to carry much weight, but it's a highly competitive contest. I'd give him an each-way chance but I know how competitive it will be, so it will be difficult.

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