Clear Thinking wins impressively.

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Venetia Williams introduced a live contender for the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle when Clear Thinking, making his debut for the Ross-on-Wye trainer, made all to land the totesport.com Novices' Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday.

A classy stayer in France for Andre Fabre, Clear Thinking has a soft-ground pedigree and he relished the conditions, putting his stamp on the contest from the start under Sam Thomas and staying on resolutely to hold Prins Willem by a neck in a driving finish.

The 11-8 favourite, Arcalis, was 18 lengths back.

Williams is mindful of the fact that Clear Thinking (13-2) lacks experience and she said: "I would definitely like to run him again before Cheltenham. It's one thing making all and never seeing another horse, and another in a race like the SunAlliance.

"It was very pleasing and one assumes he will be better over further in time. We expected to get a lead but nobody wanted to make the running and Sam decided to make his own."

Coral were the most impressed of the main bookmakers, cutting Clear Thinking to 16-1 from 33-1 for Cheltenham, while William Hill, Victor Chandler, Paddy Power and the Tote all go 20s.