King George looks Coneygree’s Christmas target

Assistant trainer Sara Bradstock has dropped a major hint that Coneygree’s next assignment will be the William Hill King George VI Chase on December 26.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup hero missed the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday after failing to sparkle in a schooling session last Tuesday.

Speaking after Coneygree was ruled out of the Hennessy, Bradstock identified either the King George or the Lexus Chase at Christmas as the next port of call but her comments yesterday suggest Kempton rather than Leopardstown will be the next port of call.