Gold stays in Hennessy

Ante-post favourite Celestial Gold heads a total of 30 horses still in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday week after the latest forfeit stage.

The six-year-old, winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham last weekend, is one of five possibles for the Somerset-based maestro Martin Pipe, together with Therealbandit, Puntal, Stormez and Vodka Bleu.

Top-weight First Gold stands his ground for the £120,000 (€171,000) showpiece, as do the likes of Royal Auclair, Ad Hoc, Joly Bey and Lord Transcend.

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup: First Gold, Take The Stand, Royal Auclair, Therealbandit, Puntal, Ballycassidy, Ollie Magern, Nil Desperandum, Ad Hoc, Stormez, Arctic Jack, Jakari, Native Emperor, Joly Bey, Swansea Bay, Frenchman’s Creek, Double Honour, What’s Up Boys, Red Striker, Simply Supreme, Celestial Gold, Banasan, Lord Transcend, Gunther McBride, Supreme Glory, Lord Of The River, Vodka Bleu, Midland Flame, Desailly and The Villager (30).