Good ground at Newcastle has put Lord Transcend’s eagerly-awaited return to the track in jeopardy.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King heads the 11 entries for the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday.

King Harald is as low as 7-1 favourite for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup after weights for the November 26 feature were released.

RULE SUPREME will run over hurdles at Aintree today after Willie Mullins decided the ground was likely to be too fast for his Irish Hennessy winner to tackle the chase course.

Howard Johnson’s powerful string has suffered a few reverses in recent days but Deja Vu got the County Durham trainer back in the winning groove at Sedgefield today.

NOEL CHANCE is hoping Murphy’s Cardinal can regain the winning thread in the skybet.com Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on St Stephen’s Day.

Trainer Howard Johnson has been outlining plans for his battalion of stable stars.

Celestial Gold completed a famous double by taking the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury today.

NIL DESPERANDUM has been the gamble of the Hennessy Gold Cup in recent days but although Frances Crowley reports him to be “as fit as I can get him”, she is concerned about the horse trying to defy a seven-month absence from the racecourse at Newbury this afternoon.

Timmy Murphy feels confident of adding to his 1999 Hennessy Gold Cup success on Ever Blessed when he takes the mount of ante-post favourite Celestial Gold in tomorrow’s renewal of the big Newbury handicap.

Ante-post favourite Celestial Gold hardened at the top of the betting following today’s final declaration stage for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup.

Paul Nicholls believes that Royal Auclair has a good chance of giving him a second success in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup as a trainer to add to the two he won as a jockey.

PAUL NICHOLLS feels Royal Auclair will have to be at his very best if he is to win Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup.

PUNTERS believe Celestial Gold will give Martin Pipe a third Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.

THEREALBANDIT is the new favourite for the Hennessy Gold Cup as punters piled into Martin Pipe’s charge following the publication of the weights yesterday.

First Gold tops the weights for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury later this month.

Promising novice chaser Lord Transcend is set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a leg injury.

“Faugh-A-Ballagh”