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Activial heads 19 in field for The Ladbroke at Ascot

Garde La Victoire (right) and Clondaw Warrior in the Greatwood
Image: Garde La Victoire (right) and Clondaw Warrior in the Greatwood - both line up in The Ladbroke.

Well-backed Activial heads a field of 19 for the Ladbroke at Ascot after the final declaration stage.

A smart juvenile last season, Harry Fry's four-year-old has not been seen since slightly disappointing at Aintree in April and his price has more than halved since Monday.

Fry is hopeful of a big run but revealed that the gamble hasn't been inspired by the trainer.

"I can't claim to have had any money on Activial although I wish I had at 12/1 looking at the prices.

"It's a hugely competitive handicap and there are probably 20 other sets of connections who probably think they've got as good a chance of winning as we have.

"Saying that, we're happy with him at home and this has been the plan since he wasn't quite going to be ready in time for the StanJames.com Greatwood and we wanted to have a go at a good handicap off his current mark. He's well at home and we're looking forward to him taking his chance," he wrote on his blog for www.stanjames.com.

"We were always going to go straight for the Greatwood or this, or the Greatwood and this. We wanted to have a go at one of these good handicap hurdles while we're on our current mark.

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"He's had a couple of racecourse gallops and we've been very pleased with him but it's over to him on Saturday. It's still a very big ask as well for a four-year-old only having his fourth start over hurdles in public but we're pleased with him at home and looking forward to it," he added.

Also prominent in the betting is Shelford who will aim to give Dan Skelton, like Fry a former assistant of champion trainer Paul Nicholls, a second successive win in the race after Willow's Saviour last year.

There are several strong Irish contenders headed by the Willie Mullins-trained Clondaw Warrior, third in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham.

He will be joined on the journey over by Gordon Elliott's Bayan, Tony Martin's Pyromaniac and Arthur Moore's Sea Beat.

Garde La Victoire, winner of the Greatwoood for Philip Hobbs, carries top weight and will be ridden by Tom O'Brien.

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David Pipe's Balgarry has not been seen since the Cheltenham Festival of 2012 and will be joined by stablemate Swing Bowler.

Goodwood Mirage will aim to help Jonjo O'Neill emerge from a quiet spell, while Pine Creek represents John Ferguson and Cool Macavity runs for Nicky Henderson.

Foxcub, Gassin Golf, Baradari and Hello George are among the others declared, while Sign Of A Victory was - as expected - taken out of the race due to the soft ground.

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