Saphir Du Rheu (11st 12lb) faces 16 rivals as he bids to become the ninth winner to defy top-weight in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on the third final day of the bet365 Festival on Saturday.
The six-year-old, trained Paul Nicholls and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, has been strongly fancied for the three and a quarter mile handicap chase, worth a record £200,000 this year, since recording an easy victory over The Young Master (Neil Mulholland/Mr Sam Waley-Cohen (3), 10st 10lb, 9/1 with bet365) in a two and half mile graduation chase at Carlisle on November 1. Saphir Du Rheu is the 7/2 favourite with bet365.
Bobs Worth (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville, 10st 13lb, 6/1) attempts to become the fourth dual winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup, having taken the spoils in 2012 en route to success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He comes into Saturday's feature race at Newbury on the back of a hurdling success at Aintree last month, his first win since December, 2013.
David Bridgwater hopes The Giant Bolster (Tom Scudamore, 11st 5lb, 33/1) can recapture his best form. The 10-year-old was placed in the 2012 and 2014 renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with his latest victory coming in the Grade Two Argento Chase at Cheltenham in January 2014.
He failed to reproduce that form in five starts last season and has not run since taking a heavy fall in the Grade One Punchestown Gold Cup in April.
Bridgwater said today: "The Giant Bolster's preparation has gone well. He came in earlier from his summer break and is in really good order with himself.
"I don't think he was particularly right last season. Punchestown hasn't affected him - I just think it was one of those tired falls.
"I am hoping for an encouraging run on Saturday. I see the likes of Bobs Worth and Smad Place are well fancied and if you fancy them you have got to fancy us because on our day, like a few in there, we are a good horse on a decent mark.
"I thought Coneygree was a certainty (before the decision on Tuesday to miss the Hennessy Gold Cup), although Bobs Worth might be now as he is nearly two-stone well in.
"We have left the headgear off on Saturday just to do something different - there is no point doing the same thing.
"Tom Scudamore came in to school The Giant Bolster this morning and, Tom will tell you himself, it was the best the horse has jumped since we can't remember when. We will know our fate over the first couple of fences but he was winging them this morning."
Trainer Alan King is doubly represented through Smad Place (Wayne Hutchinson, 11st 4lb, 5/1), who readily dispatched Fingal Bay (Philip Hobbs/Richard Johnson, 10st 7lb, 10/1) in a graduation chase at Kempton Park on November 2, and potential improver Ned Stark (Denis O'Regan, 10st 3lb, 12/1).
Other notables include Sky Bet Chase victor If In Doubt (Philip Hobbs/Barry Geraghty, 10st 12lb, 8/1), last year's runner-up Houblon Des Obeaux (Venetia Williams/Aidan Coleman, 11st 5lb, 12/1) and Cheltenham Festival scorer The Druids Nephew (Neil Mulholland/Noel Fehily, 11st 5lb, 10/1).
The Irish challenge consists of multiple Grade One winner First Lieutenant (Mouse Morris/Mark Enright, 10st 10lb, 16/1) and Kerry National runner-up Urano (Willie Mullins/Daniel Mullins, 10st 3lb, 25/1), who captured a Listed prize last time out.
Nigel Twiston-Davies runs Scottish Grand National third Benbens (Ryan Hatch, 10st 4lb, 28/1), a winner at Aintree recently, and Splash Of Ginge (Jamie Bargary, 10st 7lb, 33/1) whose biggest victory came at Newbury in the 2014 Betfair Hurdle.
The field is completed by bottom-weight Theatre Guide (Colin Tizzard/Paddy Brennan, 10st 2lb, 20/1), Al Co (Peter Bowen/Sean Bowen, 10st 4lb, 100/1) and Fox Appeal (Emma Lavelle/Gavin Sheehan, 11st 1lb, 50/1).
Hennessy Gold Cup, bet 365 bet: 7/2 Saphir Du Rheu; 5/1 Smad Place; 6/1 Bobs Worth; 8/1 If In Doubt; 9/1 The Young Master; 10/1 The Druids Nephew, Fingal Bay; 12/1 Houblon Des Obeaux, Ned Stark; 16/1 First Lieutenant; 20/1 Theatre Guide; 25/1 Urano; 28/1 Benbens; 33/1 The Giant Bolster, Splash Of Ginge; 50/1 Fox Appeal; 100/1 Al Co
