INTERESTING that the first three home in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury had all had a run this season. It’s such a tough race, it may be that you need a run these days.

Smad Place could only finish fifth in the race in 2014 on his seasonal debut off a mark of 155. Alan King’s horse went back the following year and, after winning a graduation chase at Kempton on his seasonal return that year, won the Ladbrokes Trophy (the Hennessy as it still was then) on his second run, off the same mark of 155.

DEBUT

Djakadam could only finish eighth in that 2014 renewal, on his seasonal debut, and racing off a mark of 142. He travelled well into the home straight that day, but just appeared to tire, as lack of a recent run may have taken its toll. Willie Mullins’ horse won the Thyestes Chase next time off a mark 145, and he ended the season, runner-up in the Gold Cup, rated 168. 26lbs higher than his Hennessy mark.

Willie Mullins went back to Newbury in 2017 with Total Recall and, after winning the Munster National on his first run of the season, showed the benefit of a debut run by landing the Ladbrokes Trophy on his second.

The last horse to win the Ladbrokes Trophy on his seasonal debut? Bobs Worth, who raced off a mark of 160 at Newbury in 2012, and who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following March on his next run and ended the season rated 180.