State cleared for Hennessy

State Of Play: Featherweight

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Evan Williams will saddle former winner State Of Play and Cappa Bleu in Saturday's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup.

The former gave the trainer his biggest victory in the 2006 running of the Newbury feature and was last seen when finishing fourth in the Grand National.

"The plan of attack is that both horses will run in the Hennessy," said Williams.

"We schooled both horses on Monday and it was never the plan to run State Of Play in the Hennessy.

"He gets in there off a featherweight, though, and the old horse has come to hand over the last fortnight so it looks sensible to run him.

"Paul (Moloney, stable jockey) is just being loyal to him, after all he's done for us it would have been very hard for him to get off him."

Cappa Bleu landed the Foxhunter Chase for Sheila Crow at this year's Cheltenham Festival but came only third on his debut for Williams at Aintree last time out.

"We've booked Jamie (Moore) for the big horse (Cappa Bleu) but he hasn't sat on him yet. He's very straightforward, though," the trainer added.

"I've been very happy with his preperation, his aim has been the Hennessy and it's been easy with him to train him towards that.

"People keep asking me to split them and while my heart will always be with State Of Play, in a race like the Hennessy you need an up-and-coming horse.

"Cappa Bleu is that - he could be anything."