Gallant Willoughby Court stars in Neptune at Cheltenham

Willoughby Court showed stunning bravery to land the Neptune Investment Management Novice' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.The 14-1 chance, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by David Bass, looked a sitting duck once Neon Wolf made his move.But try as he might along the run-in, the 2-1 favourite could not get on level terms, with the front-running Willoughby Court, who was announced the winner after a photo-finish, getting the nod by a head."My horse drifted right and drifted left again," said Bass. " It's brilliant for Ben and his team. "I'm so grateful to him and his owners to ride a nice horse like this."Messire Des Obeaux finished third at odds of 8-1.