Supreme Novices Hurdle Betting & Odds 2023

The Supreme Novices Hurdle is the traditional opening race for the four-day Cheltenham Festival. Notable early winners of the race include Flyingbolt (1964), L’Escargot (1968) and Bula (1970). In more recent seasons it has been won by Vautour (2014) and Douvan (2015), two of a record seven winners trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland. Nicky Henderson has won it five times, most recently with last year’s impressive winner Constitution Hill (2022).

The latest Supreme Hurdle odds suggest that the winner is likely to come from Ireland, with the top four in the betting all Irish-trained. They include three of Willie Mullins’ horses, who could pull further clear in the all-time top trainer in the race. Facile Vega has been the ante-post favourite for some time now, but he’ll need to bounce back after losing his unbeaten record with a disappointing effort at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Supreme Novices Hurdle Odds and Entries 2023

This year’s entry looks particularly strong and it is not yet certain which horse will start favourite in the Supreme Novices Hurdle 2023 betting. Willie Mullins has three in the top four of the betting, and with his excellent record in the race it could pay to see which horses he declares for the opener.

Facile Vega currently heads the betting, despite a below par performance in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle last time out, where jockey Paul Townend got his tactics all wrong. Prior to that, he was unbeaten and had won both hurdles races in comfortable fashion.

Stablemate Il Etait Temps got the better of him at the Dublin Racing Festival, although he was previously beaten four lengths by Facile Vega in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over the festive period. He’s a second season novice but was pitched into some tough Grade 1’s last season, and looks to have trained on over the summer, with the application of a hood bringing out further improvement.

Barry Connell’s unbeaten Marine Nationale was last seen edging out Irish Hill in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle in December and the form of that race has worked out well – with the fourth-placed Champ Kiely winning the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle the following month. He could give his trainer a third Grade 1 winner of the season.

For the Brits, the likes of Luccia and Tahmuras are the shortest odds runners, but both will have to bring their A game to beat the Irish. The latter

Betting on the Supreme Novices Hurdle

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race for four-year-olds and upwards over two miles. The festival curtain raiser is greeted by the famous “Cheltenham Roar” as the crowd celebrate the start of the best National Hunt race meeting in the world.

Trainers Willie Mullins (5) and Nicky Henderson (3) account for eight of the last ten renewals between them. Horses aged five and six have dominated this race over the years, although the Mullins-trained Appreciate It won as a seven-year-old in 2021. The leading Irish Trainer invariably runs his best novices in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, won this year by Il Etait Temps with odds-on favourite Facile Vega a disappointing fifth.

There have been two winning favourites and two successful joint-favourites in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in the past ten renewals. Shock results are rare, although Labaik bucked the trend when winning at 25-1 in 2017. There is usually a big field for the Supreme which makes each-way betting a tempting proposition.

There are always plenty of special offers from bookmakers for the start of the Festival to bet on the Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle, including free bets and enhanced each-way terms. SkyBet are offering all customers money back as cash if your horse loses (max stake varies) on the opening race EACH DAY of the Festival.

Latest Supreme Novices Hurdle Betting odds*

*Best prices correct at time of writing

Horse/Form	Silks	Jockey/Trainer	Odds
Facile Vega 1-1115		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	10/3
Marine Nationale 1111		J: TBC T: Barry Connell	7/2
Il Etait Temps 5-4121		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	11/2
Impaire Et Passe 1-11		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	7/1
Tahmuras 21-111		J: TBC T: Paul Nicholls	10/1
Luccia 11-11		J: TBC T: Nicky Henderson	12/1
High Definition 1U		J: TBC T: Joseph Patrick O’Brien	12/1
Gaelic Warrior 32-111		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	14/1
Diverge 61		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	14/1
Hunters Yarn 11-311		J: TBC T: Willie Mullins	16/1
Chasing Fire 11-111		J: TBC T: Olly Murphy	18/1
Inthepocket 1-112		J: TBC T: Henry De Bromhead	25/1

33/1 BAR

Supreme Novices Hurdle News

A feature of the Supreme Novices Hurdle odds this season had been that Facile Vega has headed the market for as long as it’s opened. However, after a disappointing effort at the Dublin Racing Festival the market is far more open.

As you’d expect, Willie Mullins has a formidable team to send to the Festival, and he has plenty of strong options in the opening race, with three of his currently filling the top four in the betting. Fans of Facile Vega will need to forgive his run at the DRF, which shouldn’t take too much after jockey Paul Townend clearly went too hard on him and a more patient ride at the Festival could see him resume winning ways.

He also has Il Etait Temps in the race, who took full advantage of Facile Vega’s poor effort at the DRF to win the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle. That was his second win of the season, and although he finished clear of Facile Vega, it’s likely Paul Townend will opt to stay on board the market leader. If he does change allegiance and opts for Il Etait Temps, expect him to shorten in the market considerably.

Impaire Et Passe is another Mullins runner who features prominently in the betting, and it’s easy to see why. Unbeaten over hurdles, his win in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle was impressive and although he didn’t beat much, he did it in comfortable fashion.

The chief threat to the Mullins trio looks to be Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale, who will arrive fresh having not raced since his victory in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle in December. He just edged out Irish Hill that day, and had Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle winner Champ Kiely well held in fourth, so the form of the race has worked out well. Time will tell if he can put it up to the pick of the Mullins bunch though.

After a 1-2 in last year’s renewal, the British contenders look a tad bare this season, with Tahmuras the likeliest threat to the Irish. His Tolworth Hurdle victory was impressive but he will need the ground to be on the softer side if he is to be seen to best effect. Aside from Tahmuras, the other British hope is Luccia, who remains unbeaten after two easy wins over hurdles this season. However, she currently heads the betting for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and it would be a bit of a surprise if connections opted to send her here instead.