Supreme Novices Hurdle Preview - Cheltenham Festival
Published on: 13/03/2017
Supreme Novices` Hurdle Preview
March 14, 2016 13:30pm - Cheltenham
Cheltenham Festival
With no stand out contender for this year`s opening race, a close contest can be expected. Willie Mullins has been the master of this race in recent years so it is no surprise that his 5-year-old gelding, Melon will kick-off as favourite. However, some of the hype surrounding this entry may be slightly misplaced in this field.
A debut win on good going at Leopardstown propelled Melon to the head of the market but there are doubts over his pace and lack of showing against graded opponents going into this race. However, the Mullins factor cannot be ignored and punters seem to be piling in on the 11/4 pick.
Another horse attracting plenty of interest in ante-post conversation is Ballyandy. The gelding impressed in his recent Betfair Hurdle win at Newbury and has gone from 10/1 down to 7/2 in the build-up to this race. The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained six-year-old won last years Grade 3 Champion Bumper Handicap with Sam Twiston-Davies in the saddle, beating a solid field in the process. Whats more, he seems to have a turn of pace that could give him an edge in this field.
As a result, Ballyandy looks like a decent pick for the opening race but the price could shorten even further as the race approaches.
Supreme Novices` Hurdle Winners - past 10 years:
2007 Ebaziyan - Davy Condon (Willie Mullins)
2008 Captain Cee Bee - Robert Thornton (Eddie Harty)
2009 Go Native - Paul Carberry (Noel Meade)
2010 Menorah - Richard Johnson (Philip Hobbs)
2011 Al Ferof- Ruby Walsh (Paul Nicholls)
2012 Cinders and Ashes - Jason Maguire (Donald McCain)
2013 Champagne Fever - Ruby Walsh (Willie Mullins)
2014 Vautour - Ruby Walsh (Willie Mullins)
2015 Douvan - Ruby Walsh (Willie Mullins)
2016 Altior - Nico de Boinville (Nicky Henderson)
2017 Melon - Ruby Walsh (Willie Mullins)
Latest Betting odds:
Melon 11/4
Ballyandy 7/2
Bunk Off Early 5/1
River Wylde 7/1
Crack Mome 10/1
High Bridge 14/1
Airie Beach 16/1
Beyond Conceit 20/1
Cilaos Emery 20/1
Lets Dance 20/1
Elgin 25/1
Labaik 40/1
Peter the Mayo Man 40/1
Montalbano 40/1
Pingshou 50/1
Azzuri 50/1
Bravissimo 50/1
You can back Ballandy at 7/2 with Bet365.
By Neil Morris
Published on: 13/03/2017
Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (13/03/2017 10:48:38) but are subject to change.
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