SAM Thomas' Vincenzo trailed home fifth in Saturday's £80,000 BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury after starting as 11/4 favourite.

The Abergavenny Gold Cup-winning jockey-turned-trainer’s horse, entered at next week’s Cheltenham Festival, briefly went second four out under jockey Dylan Johnston in the 2m 3f 16-fence race.

But the eight-year-old, who won at Ascot in January, weakened two from home, as Dan Skelton's 20/1 outsider Heltenham pipped the Moore brothers' Blow Your Wad by 1/2L to claim the £45,000 first prize.

Wye Valley Grand National-winning trainer Venetia Williams, who gave Thomas his start as a professional jockey, has no less than 10 entries in next week's Festival, including stable star L'Homme Presse in the Gold Cup, who placed fourth two years ago after being bumped and injured when leading two from home.

The Ross-on-Wye yard has also entered Alcedo in the Ultima, Funambule Sivola in the Plate Handicap Chase, Martator in both the Plate and the Johnny Henderson, Green Book in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle, and Chavez, Hunter Legend and Alcedo again in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir.

Meanwhile, Monmouthshire trainer Robert Stephens has enjoyed recent success, taking victory two weeks ago with 3/1 shot Caballero Cliff at Wincanton in the King Of The Golden Darts National Hunt Maiden Hurdle to score a £5,200 pay day under Robert Dunne.

And on Monday, the Penhow trainer was back in the winners' enclosure after 9/2 shot Sneaky Blinder held on by a head under Rose Dawes to win the £6,000 Apprentice Handicap flat race at Wolverhampton from Queensland Boy.

That followed a second for 12/1 shot Knight Templar at Southwell under Luke Morris in the Tipping Tom Bet Feed Handicap over 1m 4f at Southwell.

His 125/1 shot My Boy Aaron also scored a third at Cheltenham in the Jackpot Maiden Hurdle over 2m 1/2f under Sean Houlihan.