Unbeaten over fences, a Ladbrokes Chase victory sees the six-year old's odds cut for Cheltenham
In the first of the two big head-to-head battles at Newbury on Friday, Willoughby Court struck a notable win by holding off favourite Yanworth to win his fifth race in a row and remain unbeaten over fences.
Nico de Boinville gave the gelding a smooth ride and jumped better than his rival to lead for most of the race and hold off JP McManus’ horse who pushed hard after the last but was unable to get past.
Bookies were swift to cut odds for Willoughby to win the RSA Chase at Cheltenham in March, where these two will no doubt battle again. 16/1 at the start of the day gave way to 8/1 in places, though a couple of bookies have only dropped their prices marginally, with a best price of 14/1 available.
Yanworth has drifted marginally with 16/1 now available, a lengthening from 14s this morning. Monalee remains favourite for the race, with no bookie giving a double digit price; 7/1 the biggest price currently out there.
Oddschecker Spokesman George Elek: “Willougby Court was well supported through the site this morning and repaid the faith shown in him with his Newbury performance. His victory over Yanworth has seen his odds cut to shorter than the McManus horse for the RSA, whilst the Irish duo of Death Duty and Monalee remain popular picks for the big race in March.”
