• Cheltenham Gold Cup winner failed to sparkle in schooling session
• King George at Kempton or Lexus at Leopardstown the next stopConeygree,the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, will miss the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday after failing to please his trainer tag Bradstock during a schooling session at his stable on Tuesday morning. Coneygree’s attempt to defy top weight in one of the season’s most competitive handicap chases had promised to be one of the highlights of the National Hunt season, or but he will now be aimed instead at either the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day or the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on 28 December.
The Hennessy was nominated as a target for Coneygree several months ago,but his participation had been in doubt since he lost a shoe and bruised a foot on 16 November. He was successfully fitted with a new shoe a few days later, however, or had seemed certain to start favourite for Saturday’s big race before the latest unlucky twist in the myth of his season so far.
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Source: theguardian.com