What have Denman, Bobs Worth and Native River in common? Of course they are racehorses with four legs and they may share other features. However, the standout shared achievement is that each horse has won the Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly the Hennessy) and Cheltenham Gold Cup this century. The dearly departed Many Clouds won the Grand National and Saturday's feature race at Newbury. No horse has won the Ladbrokes Trophy, Gold Cup and National.

The Ladbrokes Trophy is a proven trial for the steeplechases that matter most. The race distance is three miles and two furlongs and there are 21 obstacles. Horses aged four and older are eligible for one of the most important staying handicap chases of the season. Probably only the National of that ilk carries more prestige and is sought after more by owners, trainers and jockeys. The race was first run in 1957 under the name of the Hennessey Cognac Gold Cup and that sponsorship ended in 2016.

It is debatable whether there is a future Gold Cup or National winner in the field for Saturday's race. The current ante-post favourite is Ok Corral at +600 with online bookmakers. There should be a field of more than 16 runners, which means bookies will settle each-way bets at one-quarter odds for the first four places. However, this could be an extra-places race because it is a competitive handicap that is being shown live on free-to-view television. At +700, Cabaret Queen for trainer Willie Mullins has possibly the better profile for the race than the favourite.

The significance of the Ladbrokes Trophy to the Gold Cup is indicated by the fact that nine horses in total have won both races. Many Clouds is the only horse to win the Hennessey (2014), as it was known, and the Grand National (2015). The horse could have developed into a Gold Cup contender and achieved the unique feat of winning all three of these major prestigious chases, but Many Clouds passed away after running a huge race in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January 2017.

There is always a healthy betting market for the Ladbrokes Trophy. Here are some 10-year betting trends for the race which can help pinpoint likely contenders:

• The average starting price of the winners was almost +800.
• The SPs ranged from +275 to +2000.
• There were four winning favourites.
• One winner started at double-figure odds.
• Four winners were returned at +600 to +1000.

Since 2000, the most winning age is seven with eight wins and the age range of the successful horses is six to 10. There have been 12 winners carrying 11 stone or more this century. Nine of the last 12 winners had an official rating of 148 or higher. All but four of the winners since 2008 had run at Newbury and the same number were previous winners at the track.

Only three horses have won the race more than once, the most recent being Denman in 2007 and 2009. Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls are the leading trainers over the last 19 renewals with three wins each. Barry Geraghty is the only multiple-winning active jockey in that time with wins in 2012 and 2013. Tony McCoy never rode the winner of the Hennessy or Ladbrokes Trophy.

Ok Corral has the right profile for the Ladbrokes Trophy. The horse was one of the leading long-distance novice chasers last season but could not produce the goods in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. However, Ok Corral was progressive in his prep races for the festival. The horse carries 11 stones and three pounds and is aged nine so ticks a number of boxes.

Mullins trained the winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy in 2017 with Total Recall. His horse won the Munster National at Limerick in October 2017 and then won the Ladbrokes Trophy later in the year. Cabaret Queen won this year's Munster National off a low weight of 10 stone by 13 lengths. The horse had so much in hand in a competitive handicap that an extra 10 pounds is manageable in the Ladbrokes Trophy. Cabaret Queen is the tip to win the race this year.