Colonel Harry heads 16 chasing Newbury Gold

Ante-post favourite Colonel Harry is among 16 confirmations for Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

The seven-year-old will be bidding to provide trainer Jamie Snowden and owners the GD Partnership with back-to-back victories in the prestigious handicap, having struck gold 12 months ago with Datsalrightgino, who was fatally injured on his next outing at Cheltenham.

Colonel Harry certainly brings strong credentials to the table, having won at Grade Two level and run well in Grade One company as a novice last season, while a comeback second in the Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle will have blown away any cobwebs.

The Venetia Williams-trained Victtorino, Dan Skelton’s Midnight River and Broadway Boy from Nigel Twiston-Davies’ yard are other leading contenders for the home team, while Irish hopes could be carried by Henry de Bromhead’s Cheltenham winner Senior Chief, Willie Mullins’ Horantzau d’Airy and Grandero Bello, who is set to represent the father and son team of Eddie and Patrick Harty.

The latter was last seen winning over fences at Galway in late October and is being readied for a trip across the Irish Sea.

“We were very pleased with the run in Galway. We thought he’d run well, but he hadn’t run since March and we thought he might need it. He won well, which opened up the Coral Gold Cup in Newbury for him,” said Eddie Harty.

“He got plenty of a weight rise from the handicapper but it puts him on a nice racing weight (currently 11st 5lb).

“The owners, Josie Reed and Robert Caddick, are from the area, so it makes sense to bring him over to them for a change. It’s a big race, a big prize and it’s worth a shot.

“He’s come out of the race in Galway bouncing, so fingers crossed he stays like that for the week.”

With Bravemansgame, Royale Pagaille and Grey Dawning all taken out as expected after contesting the Betfair Chase at Haydock, and Chianti Classico also withdrawn, the weights are now headed by Gary and Josh Moore’s Welsh Grand National hero Nassalam on 12st.

Other hopefuls include Henry’s Friend (Ben Pauling), Kandoo Kid (Paul Nicholls) and a potential French raider in General En Chef (Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm).