Cloth Cap seeking back-to-back Ladbrokes Trophy victories at Newbury

Cloth Cap is firmly on target to attempt to claim back-to-back victories in the £250,000 Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on Saturday, November 27.

His trainer Jonjo O’Neill is keen to deliver a poignant success for the family of the late Trevor Hemmings, the Ladbrokes Trophy’s winning-most owner who passed away earlier this month.

Hemmings won the race with Trabolgan in 2005, Many Clouds in 2015 and Cloth Cap last year and had been actively involved in planning Cloth Cap’s campaign for 2021-22 season up to his death.

Cloth Cap and the Venetia Williams-trained Cloudy Dream make up the Hemmings entries in a list which also features a high quality representation from Ireland.

Ireland’s champion jumps trainer Mullins, victorious with Total Recall in 2017, has entered recent J T McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National winner Ontheropes in a three-strong team, completed by Annamix and Brahma Bull, while Henry de Bromhead has nominated Chris’s Dream and Eklat De Rire.

Cheltenham Gold Cup sixth Royale Pagaille has also been entered by Williams while Lostintranslation is part of two-time winner Colin Tizzard’s team of six, completed by Copperhead, Fiddlerontheroof, Mister Malarkey, Slate House and The Big Breakaway.

The first three from a contentious finish to the Bet365 Gold Cup, Potterman, Kitty’s Light and Enrilo, who was demoted from first place, are also entered.

Enrilo, with Lalor and Next Destination, make up a three-strong entry from champion trainer Paul Nicholls, who has won the race three times as a trainer.

There have been three two-time winners of the Ladbrokes Trophy, Mandarin (1957 & 1961), Arkle (1964 & 1965) and Denman (2007 and 2009), but only Arkle won it in successive seasons.

Cloth Cap made all the running to beat Aye Right by ten lengths at Newbury last year off bottom weight of 10st.

In winning the race for a third time jockey Tom Scudamore joined Willie Robinson as the Ladbrokes Trophy's most successful rider.