Bobs Worth has leapt into favouritism for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with a dominant victory at Newbury.

The Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old is as short as 7-2 to take jumps racing's blue riband in March after beating topweight Tidal Bay by 3-1/4 lengths in the Hennessy Gold cup.

Race jockey Barry Geraghty bought Bobs Worth as a yearling and sold him to a syndicate of Henderson's friends a couple of years later.

"He's so tough, but he makes you sweat as he doesn't do an awful lot," Henderson said.

"It was only three days ago when I went round evening stables that I thought he was right. It was like a rose coming into bloom.

"He's owned by some of my oldest friends, and it's for them, and Barry, more than anything."

Henderson's main aim now is to keep him apart from stablemate Long Run and also on clockwise tracks.

"Barry has said before that he does need to go left-handed," Henderson said.

"So I would say the King George is out of the equation and it's just a matter of plotting a gentle route back to Cheltenham.