Sound money for Man

One Man was backed for the King George VI Chase yesterday. Coral cut the grey's odds from 100-30 to 5-2 for the Boxing Day event at Kempton.

William Hill, who started yesterday quoting One Man at 11-4, trimmed his price to 5-2. One factor behind the moves was confirmation that the Irish-trained Sound Man will miss the three-mile Kempton event. The bay will bypass the race to follow a more traditional build-up to the two- mile Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

n Couldnt Be Better and Rough Quest, first and second in the Hennessy Gold Cup, are set to clash in the Betterware Cup Handicap Chase at Ascot on Saturday.

Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk, obituary, page 16