The road to the Supreme: the main contenders, key pre-festival races and a 12-1 shot who is yet to run over hurdles

It is exactly eight weeks until the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle kicks off the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. Here we take a look at the meeting opener and the ante-post picture for a big betting race . . .

The leading fancies

JP McManus has a strong hand in the Supreme, with Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle winner Mystical Power surging to 4-1 favouritism following his Punchestown victory on Sunday.

The Willie Mullins-trained son of Galileo is the first foal out of Annie Power and quickened impressively for a seven-length success, extending his record to 3-3.

Mystical Power usurped Jeriko Du Reponet, also owned by McManus, at the top of the betting. The Nicky Henderson-trained novice is 2-2 over hurdles, most recently winning an introductory hurdle at Newbury last month.

The Irish point-to-point winner scored in smooth fashion, and although his form does not look notably strong, he could clearly have a lot more to offer for a trainer who has won this race five times, most recently with Constitution Hill two years ago.

JP McManus: has the leading candidates for the Supreme Novices' HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Jeriko Du Reponet is the 5-1 second favourite and Ballyburn, trained by Mullins, is another towards the head of the market at a best price of 8-1 with Coral and Sky Bet.

The key question is which festival race will Ballyburn go for? He is the general 4-1 favourite for the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle and was most recently seen running over two and a half miles as he won for the first time over hurdles by 25 lengths in a maiden at Leopardstown.

He has shown a tendency to race slightly keenly and has entries over two miles and two miles and six furlongs at the Dublin Racing Festival next month, so the jury is out at this stage.

Big question marks over top talents

There are two fascinating contenders in the ante-post Supreme market but there are major question marks over their participation.

Last season's Champion Bumper winner A Dream To Share is a best-priced 12-1 with Sky Bet and as short as half that price elsewhere but he has not been in action since backing up his Cheltenham success at Punchestown in April.

The John and Thomas Kiely-trained six-year-old is another top prospect owned by McManus and boasts a 5-5 record in bumpers.

He was declared to make his hurdling debut at Punchestown in October but was ruled out the day before with a stone bruise. He does not have any future entries and his festival participation is very much in question.

A Dream To Share: last season's Champion Bumper winner has not run this campaignCredit: Michael Steele

It's For Me finished fifth behind A Dream To Share in the Champion Bumper and defeated subsequent Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Caldwell Potter on his debut over hurdles at Punchestown in November.

The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned six-year-old has not run since, however, and is similarly not entered at the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival.

He was around the 10-1 mark for the Supreme on New Year's Day but has drifted to 20-1 with several firms.

The key pre-festival races

The Tattersalls-sponsored 2m novice hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on February 4 has proved a crucial pointer to the Supreme in the past decade, with the Mullins-trained Appreciate It, Klassical Dream and Vautour winning the Grade 1 before following up in the Cheltenham Festival opener.

Entries for the Leopardstown race include Mystical Power, Ballyburn, 12-1 Supreme shot Caldwell Potter and Farren Glory, who fell at the second-last when leading the Grade 1 Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree last month.

Haydock hosts a Supreme trial on Saturday – a race won by Supreme second Jonbon in 2022 – and Musselburgh stages the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices' Hurdle on February 4.

Shishkin: won the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon before landing the Supreme Novices' HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Shishkin won the Sidney Banks Memorial Novices' Hurdle at Huntingdon to tee up Supreme success in 2020 and the Listed event takes place at the Cambridgeshire track on February 8. The Dovecote Novices' Hurdle is staged at Kempton on February 24, although the winner has not gone on to land the Supreme since Flown in 1992.

It is not uncommon for Betfair Hurdle winners in their novice season to line up in the Supreme, including festival runner-up Kalashnikov in 2018, but the valuable Newbury handicap on February 10 appears to revolve around older horses bar 40-1 Supreme shot Lookaway.

Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, 1.30 Cheltenham, March 12

bet365: 4 Mystical Power, 9-2 Jeriko Du Reponet, 11-2 Ballyburn, 8 A Dream To Share, 12 Caldwell Potter, 14 Farren Glory, 16 Firefox, 20 bar

Read more . . .

JP McManus ace Mystical Power new Supreme Novices' Hurdle favourite after sprinting clear in Moscow Flyer 

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