What type of horse usually wins the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, which is the annual curtain raiser for the Festival? BetRepublic has the answers...



The start of the Cheltenham Festival is signalled by the tape going up on the first race - the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. A massive cheer rings out around the racecourse. When that Anglo-Irish roar goes up billions of hairs stand to attention on the necks of several thousand racegoers at the sight of two dozen horses charging to the first hurdle.

The race has always been the traditional Festival curtain raiser and punters clamour to get their bets on (see above). Run over the Champion Hurdle course and distance of two miles and about half a furlong it is open to novices aged four years old and upwards.

Recent Winners

The race always attracts a large field and, therefore, experience of competing in similar conditions is often of paramount importance. As always, the ground is also crucial. If the going is on the quick side, then the flat-bred runners often hold the key.

The Irish have won seven of the renewals since 2000 and the race invariably throws up a star of the future. Indeed, in the last decade both Brave Inca and Hors La Loi III have followed up victory here by triumphing in the Champion Hurdle. That's why last year's winner, Go Native, is one of the favourites for this year's Champion Hurdle.

The race has also had an impact on the Gold Cup in recent years. Best Mate was second to Sausalito Bay in 2000, Kicking King was second to Back In Front in 2003 and War Of Attrition was second to Brave Inca in 2004.

___________________________________________

** To open an account with Paddy Power and claim
€50 of free bets for Cheltenham please click here **
___________________________________________

Previous Winners

Year - Horse - Age - Trainer - Odds
2009 - Go Native - 6 - N Meade - 12/1
2008 - Captain Cee Bee - 7 - E P Harty - 17/2
2007 - Ebaziyan - 6 - W P Mullins - 40/1
2006 - Noland - 5 - P Nicholls - 6/1
2005 - Arcalis - 5 - J Howard Johnson - 20/1
2004 - Brave Inca - 6 - C Murphy - 7/2F
2003 - Back In Front - 6 - E O’Grady - 3/1F
2002 - Like-A-Butterfly - 8 - C Roche - 7/4F
2000 - Sausalito Bay - 6 - N Meade - 14/1
1999 - Hors La Loi III - 4 - M Pipe - 9/2

Key Trends

Make sure your pick ticks the following boxes:

* Won at least 50 per cent of hurdle starts, 10 winners in last 10 runnings
* Pre-race RPR of at least 132, 9/10
* Ran within the last 45 days, 9/10
* Won last time out, 9/10
* Rated within 12lb of RPR top-rated, 8/10
* Previously contested a Graded race, 7/10 (three won, four made the frame)
* Aged 5 or 6, 7/10

Other Factors

The Irish have won this 10 times in the last 20 years. Four winners came via the Flat, where they had earned a Racing Post Rating between 91 and 115, and none of the four had yet to win outside minor novice hurdle company. Only one winner (Back In Front) had previously run at the festival, finishing third in the bumper. The last horse to win this after just one hurdle outing was Flown in 1992

Latest Prices - William Hill

Dunguib 4/5
Menorah 8/1
Rite Of Passage 14/1
Bellvano 20/1
Blackstairmountain 20/1
Oscar Whisky 20/1
Fionnegas 25/1
General Miller 25/1
Ghizao 25/1
Loosen My Load 25/1
Luska Lad 25/1
Peddlers Cross 25/1
Pepe Simo 25/1

Ante Post Advice

After his success in last year's Champion Bumper, in which he smashed the opposition by 10 lengths, the hot favourite is Dunguib. He is so good that his trainer, Philip Fenton, has even entered the horse into the Champion Hurdle too even though it is very rare for a novice to win this race. He will certainly be very difficult to beat but at 4/5 we think there are more attractive options.

One horse we realy like the look of is Blackstairmountain, trained by master Irish handler Willier Mullins. At 20/1 he is cracking each-way value. If he runs he will almost certainly start the race at half those odds or shorter. If he is ridden by Mullins' regular jockey, Ruby Walsh, arguaby the best jockey ever to ride around Cheltenham, the horse would be sure to go off one of the favourites.

Blackstairmountain looks to have plenty going for him. In a novice hurdle at Punchestown at the end of January he cruised to an impressive victory on his hurdling debut and the stable have twice won the ‘Supreme’ before. If we go back to last February, Blackstairmountain smashed a horse called Hollo Ladies to win his first bumper by 18 lengths and since that time the latter has certainly 'franked' the form by winning a Grade 1 hurdle worth £50,000.

BetRepublic Cheltenham Portfolio:

1pt each-way Blackstairmountain to win the 2010 Supreme Novices' Hurdle at 20/1 with William Hill

* Click on any of the links to open an account and claim a free £25 bet with William Hill