Oli Bell is hoping for another dream day presenting for ITV Racing if Two For Gold (10st 12lbs) were to line up in the 2020 Ladbrokes Trophy. Having become famed for his exuberant celebrations following Big Orange’s Royal Ascot win for his uncle Michael Bell, the ITV presenter, who is involved in the ‘May We Never Be Found Out Partnership’ that owns the Kim Bailey-trained seven-year-old, has promised to be a little more controlled if Two For Gold were to come home in front.

“He’s got a few options, with nothing confirmed yet,” said Bell, “It’s a decision we’ll leave to Kim, whose yard is in fantastic form, to make nearer the time, but it would definitely be exciting to run in the Ladbrokes Trophy. I got involved with the syndicate through some good friends, the Clancy family. After one too many in a box at Royal Ascot with Kim Bailey, we woke up with hangovers…and a horse! That horse was The Rainbow Hunter who went on to run in three Grand Nationals for us, a fantastic experience.

“Sadly Dermot Clancy, one of the founders of the syndicate, passed away about a year ago, so every time Two For Gold runs we raise a glass to Dermot, and it would be great to be raising one to him after the Ladbrokes Trophy.”

Following the scratching of Topofthegame following an injury, the weights will rise three pounds, with new top weight Ballyoptic (11st 12lbs), closely followed by Vinndication (11st 11lbs), another possible runner for Kim Bailey, who was second at Weatherby in the Charlie Hall Chase behind Cyrname.

Another trainer in fantastic form this season is Anthony Honeyball, who has two horses in the Ladbrokes Trophy following the scratchings stage including, Regal Encore (11st 1lb) and the exciting Sam Brown (11st 2lbs), a lightly raced horse who has won five of his eight starts and was most recently third in a Listed race at Carlisle. Honeyball said: “Both horses have come out of their recent runs well and we will look to run them in the Ladbrokes Trophy. Regal Encore ran a fantastic race at Ascot, which was his early season target, and we would love to have another crack at the Grand National, he was eighth in 2017 and then seventh last year.

“I think the Ladbrokes Trophy will suit him as he likes an end to end gallop, plus he has course form from the 2017 race, which he was third in. Regal has been the most fantastic horse for the yard, and my wife Rachael does all the work with him – he gets more attention than me!

“We are hoping for a little more rain for Sam Brown, but he is on a nice mark and we think the course will suit him. He got a bit tapped for speed in the closing stages of the race at Carlisle, so the extra half a mile in the Ladbrokes Trophy should be ideal for him.”

Ladbrokes spokesman Jon Lees said: “With Topofthegame unfortunately ruled out we now have three co-favourites, Copperhead, The Conditional and Vinndication, on 8/1 at the top of the wide-open betting market. Oli Bell’s horse Two For Gold is as short as 10/1, and with 28 horses still standing, this year’s Ladbrokes Trophy is shaping up to be a highly competitive renewal.”

Ladbrokes betting: 8/1 Copperhead, The Conditional, Vinndication, 9/1 Aye Right, 10/1 Two For Gold, 12/1 De Rasher Counter, 14/1 Black Op, Kildisart, Sam Brown, 16/1 Cloth Cap, Slate House, 20/1 Bar

Full List of Acceptors

Horse	Weight	Trainer	Owner
Ballyoptic	11-12	Nigel Twiston-Davies	Mills & Mason Partnership
Vinndication	11-11	Kim Bailey	Moremoneythan
Secret Investor	11-9	Paul Nicholls	Hills of Ledbury Ltd
Beware The Bear	11-8	Nicky Henderson	Mr G.B. Barlow
Yala Enki	11-6	Paul Nicholls	Hills of Ledbury Ltd
Truckers Lodge	11-5	Paul Nicholls	Gordon & Su Hall
De Rasher Counter	11-5	Emma Lavelle	Makin’ Bacon Partnership
Kildisart	11-5	Ben Pauling	Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede
Sam Brown	11-2	Anthony Honeyball	Mr T.C. Frost
Slate House	11-2	Colin Tizzard	Eric Jones, Geoff Nichols, John Romans
Copperhead	11-2	Colin Tizzard	Mrs G.C. Prichard
Regal Encore	11-1	Anthony Honeyball	Mr John P. McManus
Aye Right	11-0	Harriet Graham	Geoff and Elspeth Adam
Mister Malarky	11-0	Colin Tizzard	Wendy & Malcolm Hezel
Black Op	11-0	Tom George	Mr R.S. Brookhouse
Siruh du Lac	11-0	David Pipe	John White & Anne Underhill
Two For Gold	10-12	Kim Bailey	May We Never Be Found Out Partnership 2
Spiritofthegames	10-12	Dan Skelton	Mr N.W. Lake
The Conditional	10-11	David Bridgwater	Mr P.J. Cave
La Bague Au Roi	10-9	Warren Greatrex	Mrs Julien Tuner & Mr Andrew Merriam
Danny Whizzbang	10-9	Paul Nicholls	Mrs Angela Tincknell
The Hollow Ginge	10-8	Nigel Twiston-Davies	The Ginge Army
Potterman	10-6	Alan King	James & Jean Potter Ltd
Benatar	10-6	Gary Moore	Mr Ashley Head
Coo Star Sivola	10-3	Nick Williams	Babbit Racing
Ardlethen	10-2	Dan Skelton	Mike and Eileen Newbould
Cloth Cap	10-0	Jonjo O’Neill	Mr Trevor Hemmings
Lamanver Pippin	9-10	Colin Tizzard	Dr Donna Christensen