FORMER Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Coneygree (Mark Bradstock, 16/1 with Ladbrokes) tops the weights for the £250,000 Grade Three Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on December 2.

The half-brother to 2011 Ladbrokes Trophy hero Carruthers, will carry 11st 12lb despite being pulled-up on his seasonal reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby last Saturday when sustaining an overreach.

Second in the weights on 11st 11lb is Smad Place (Alan King, 20/1), winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy in 2015 and back to form when successful in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on October 29.

Sharing favouritism at 8/1 with Ladbrokes are American (Harry Fry, 11st 4lb), who was impressive in winning all three of his starts last season and Total Recall (Willie Mullins IRE, 10st 8lb), successful in the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National Handicap Chase at Limerick.

Willie Mullins, Ireland’s champion Jumps trainer, could also be represented by Acapella Bourgeois (10st 12lb, 16/1), a Grade Two scorer last season for former trainer Sandra Hughes plus Childrens List (10st 9lb, 33/1), Pleasant Company (10st 9lb, 33/1) and Polidam (9st 13lb).

Noel Meade is considering a tilt at the race with A Genie In Abottle (10st 13lb, 20/1).

The progressive six-year-old, who is owned by Gigginstown House Stud, was a talented novice last season and ended the campaign with a good third behind stablemate Disko in a Grade One contest at the Punchestown Festival.

A Genie In Abottle has a 100 per cent record from two starts this season, most recently defeating Tiger Roll (Gordon Elliott IRE, 10st 13lb, 25/1) by a length-and-a-half in a Listed contest over just shy of three miles at Wexford on October 30.

Meade said: “The Ladbrokes Trophy is a possibility for A Genie In Abottle and I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, but I will have to discuss it with the owners.

“He has come out of Wexford good, so we will see how he is between now and Newbury and see what we think.

“He likes soft ground and looks to have the right sort of profile for the Ladbrokes Trophy.”

Reigning champion trainer Nicky Henderson, seeking a fourth Ladbrokes Trophy victory, has four contenders to choose from, headed by Whisper (11st 4lb, 12/1), who was runner-up in novices’ contests at Cheltenham and Aintree last season.

The other contenders from Seven Barrows are O O Seven (10st 13lb, 20/1), Beware The Bear (10st 7lb, 25/1) and Vyta Du Roc(10st 1lb, 25/1).