Denman heads a field of 21 for Saturday’s prestigious Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

Sarah Hobbs had a frustrating time of it at Doncaster but having motored further up the A1 to Wetherby she saw the stable’s luck change as Kornati Kid booked a trip to the Cheltenham Festival.

Sam Thomas warmed up for the biggest ride of his career on Kauto Star at the weekend with a confidence-boosting success on board the Paul Nicholls-trained Geeveem at Wincanton.

Things are looking brighter for Robert Alner as the Dorset handler makes steady progress in hospital while his string hit the heights on the racecourse.