magic sign go brick laying again

Little Brick - subject of another monster punt.

A second monster bet in the space of the month has seen Ladbrokes cut the odds on Little Brick to win at the Cheltenham Festival.

The David Pipe-trained horse was a 7/1 chance for the William Hill Trophy, but a whopping £20,000 each-way bet has forced the eight year old into clear 6/1 second favourite.

The bet was one of three ambitious punts struck early on Tuesday morning in the Ladbrokes trading room.

Pauillac has been slashed to 12/1 for the Triumph Hurdle after the firm struck a £3,000 each-way bet on another Pipe hopeful at odds of 16/1.

And in an extremely far-sighted bet, Mount Nelson was backed at 25/1 for the Derby in June. A £10,000 each-way bet saw Ladbrokes cut the odds to 16/1.

David Williams, spokesman for the firm, said: "It's been the busiest morning of the year for our elite traders. All of a sudden our big hitters have shown their hand.

"When we saw another big one coming through the system on Little Brick, our hearts missed a beat. We've already got him in the Grand National book for bundles and he now heads to Cheltenham as an ugly result for us.

"And just as we're approaching full steam ahead for the Festival, a big bet for Epsom has taken us entirely by surprise. It's been a very odd morning."