The Supreme market has yet to catch fire - but this Leopardstown winner proved he will be a major player

Romeo looks a lovely bet for the Supreme

The market for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle has yet to really get going.

The Willie Mullins-trained Salvator Mundi is favourite with some firms, but he hasn't been seen since pulverising a weak field at Tipperary in May.

Stablemates Kopek Des Bordes and Kaid D'Authie are prominent in the betting after landing maiden hurdles at Leopardstown's Christmas festival, but neither was impressive and the standout two-mile novice hurdler at this stage is surely Romeo Coolio, who won the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle on Friday.

The five-year-old is held in high regard by trainer Gordon Elliott and he was as short as 7-1 for the Supreme before suffering an odds-on defeat in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse this month.

Romeo Coolio: took the Future Champions Novice Hurdle under Sam EwingCredit: Patrick McCann

He returned to winning ways with a stylish nine-length victory in the Future Champions, however, and would have won by further but for a mistake at the final hurdle.

That success was ten seconds quicker than the three-year-old maiden hurdle run over the same distance earlier on the card and faster than both Kopek Des Bordes and Kaid D'Authie despite Romeo Coolio carrying 5lb more.

The Champion Bumper runner-up is a good bet at 10-1 for what potentially looks a weak race.
Joe Eccles

Jonbon and Teahupoo’s Cheltenham claims grow without leaving their box

The big results over Christmas resulted in so many market changes for the major Cheltenham Festival contests that it became hard to track them all, but there were two horses who had their claims strengthened without even leaving their box.

The two Grade 1 staying hurdles run over the Christmas period in Britain and Ireland both resulted in defending champion Teahupoo becoming an even warmer order for that division’s championship race in March.

Leopardstown winner Home By The Lee has run creditably in the last two Stayers’ Hurdles, finishing third and fifth, but has been put in his place by Teahupoo several times, while Long Walk ace Crambo’s narrow defeat of Hiddenvalley Lake and Beauport is unlikely to leave Gordon Elliott sweating.

Home By The Lee and JJ Slevin: winners of the Grade 1 Savills Hurdle

Home By The Lee soundly defeated Bob Olinger again at Leopardstown but has plenty ground to make up on TeahupooCredit: Patrick McCann

Similarly, Champion Chase favourite Jonbon was nibbled into 2-1 from 5-2 by the bookies after a muddling running of the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown.

Solness, who was beaten out of sight by Jonbon in the Tingle Creek, caused a major shock by lowering the colours of Gaelic Warrior, who will surely improve for that run, but another trip around Leopardstown in the Dublin Chase will now be crucial in determining whether the two-mile path is indeed the right one for the Arkle winner.

He’s going to need to improve a lot to match Jonbon, and we could end up with two more very short-priced favourites by March.
Sam Hendry

Ballyburn left with only one Cheltenham option

Following his successful chase debut, it was noted by many pundits that Ballyburn’s jumping did not quite match up with expectations for a proposed two-mile chaser. His defeat at Kempton confirmed that, and any ante-post Arkle slips might as well be torn up now.

Sir Gino was far quicker and slicker over almost every fence bar the first, but being beaten in that manner over a trip that looks certain to not be Ballyburn's best may not age too badly given the quality of the winner.

Ballyburn makes a mess of Kempton's final fence on his way to being beaten by Sir Gino

Ballyburn jumps the last in the Wayward Lad Novices' ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

Usually there would now be two and a half months of debate over which of the other two Cheltenham Festival novice chases Ballyburn will head to, but with no Turners over the intermediate trip anymore and Impaire Et Passe already seemingly pencilled in to avoid the festival in favour of alternative options at Fairyhouse and Aintree, it has to be the Brown Advisory or nothing.

That sort of test should be far more suitable and his hopes of winning at Cheltenham for a second straight year remain far from forlorn.
Sam Hendry

David Power Jockeys’ Cup standings (ITV races)

Harry Skelton 174 points
Harry Cobden 144
Sam Twiston-Davies 136
Nico de Boinville 134
Sean Bowen 110

British jump jockeys’ championship - BELOW ALL TO BE UPDATED

Sean Bowen 113 wins
Harry Skelton 107
Sam Twiston-Davies 77
Gavin Sheehan 63
Harry Cobden 62

British jumps trainers’ championship

Dan Skelton £1,734,654
Paul Nicholls £1,188,249
Nicky Henderson £893,952
Nigel Twiston-Davies £832,377
Olly Murphy £816,496

Irish jump jockeys’ championship

Paul Townend 52 wins
Darragh O’Keeffe 50
Sam Ewing 49
Keith Donoghue 43
Danny Mullins 35

Irish jumps trainers’ championship

Gordon Elliott €2,479,315
Willie Mullins €2,058,425
Gavin Cromwell €1,147,110
Henry de Bromhead €1,088,360
Joseph O’Brien €769,975

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