Keith Melrose: why this could be the next marquee Ladbrokes Trophy winner

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

Apart from the Grand National, which bestows racing immortality on its winners as standard, no handicap can match the Ladbrokes Trophy's roll of honour. Take only the 11 post-Denman winners and you would find two Gold Cup winners, Many Clouds and a handful of others who achieved folk-hero status without winning a bigger race.

Native River was the last marquee winner in 2016 and, given the zeitgeist, it might be tempting to link that trend with less ambitious campaigning of horses. That is moot for the purposes of this piece, but it is noted that this would count as a decidedly weak renewal but for the presence of the four Irish-trained runners. Take out Brahma Bull, Eklat De Rire, Annamix and Ontheropes and last year's winner Cloth Cap would be topweight on a BHA mark of 154, the lowest in this race since 2006.