Supreme Novices' Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)

Explore the history of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, a race staged over 2m½f at Cheltenham during the Cheltenham Festival. We detail trainer and jockey achievements from previous renewals while highlighting statistical patterns that have emerged to influence the race's likely outcome.
Supreme Novices' Hurdle Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Cheltenham Festival)
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Expert Guide

You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.

2027 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Preview

Get ready for the Cheltenham roar, the opening race of the Festival is the Supreme Novices Hurdle!

First run in 1946 as the Gloucestershire Hurdle, it was renamed to its current name in 1978. It is run over 2m½f on the old course at Cheltenham Racecourse, with the race being restricted to novices and often producing winners who continue to shine at the Festival in future years.

This race is the ultimate star-maker. Legends like Constitution Hill (who won by 22 lengths in a record time in 2022), Altior, and Douvan all started their legendary careers by winning this curtain-raiser.

Uncover Supreme Novices' Hurdle winning strategies through our deep dive into past race patterns and trainer performance, and supercharge your bets with these top free bets for Cheltenham.

Supreme Novices' Hurdle Information:

Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.

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How competitive is the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022, when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 130%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ120 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2027 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Supreme Novices' Hurdle races over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Constitution Hill (3:44.35) in 2022
  2. Altior (3:46.00) in 2016
  3. Vautour (3:46.40) in 2014

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle next time out, then you would have backed a total of 8 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.98. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.

Over the last 20 renewals, it was Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico de Boinville, who set the fastest winning time in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. That runner won the race in a time of 3:44.35 in 2022. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Henry De Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore with Slade Steel who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 4:12.87 in the 2024 renewal.

What the expert says...
A last-time-out winner is almost a must in the Supreme Novices Hurdle; only three of the last twenty winners did not win last time out: Menorah (2nd) in 2010, Labaik (6th) in 2017 and Slade Steel (2nd) in 2024 are the only exceptions. The Formby Novices Hurdle at Sandown and the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown have produced six of the last nine winners of the race.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Supreme Novices Hurdle 16 Mar @ 13:00 - AntePost
Feel Gut 13.00
Even Tho 17.00
The Mourne Rambler 21.00
Mets Ta Ceinture 26.00
Planters Punch 26.00
Mailloche 26.00
With Nolimit 26.00
Cityofblindinlites 34.00
Minella Machine 34.00
Bentraghhill 34.00

Supreme Novices' Hurdle Past Winners

Here are the Supreme Novices' Hurdle past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Supreme Novices' Hurdle are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

YearHorseInfo
2026
3:51.36
Old Park Star (IRE)
6yo 11-7 15/8F
Nico de Boinville
Nicky Henderson (GB)
2025
3:52.04
Kopek Des Bordes (FR)
5yo 11-7 4/6F
Paul Townend
W P Mullins (IRE)
2024
4:12.87
Slade Steel (IRE)
6yo 11-7 7/2
Rachael Blackmore
Henry De Bromhead (IRE)
2023
3:59.69
Marine Nationale (IRE)
6yo 11-7 9/2
Michael O'Sullivan
Barry Connell (IRE)
2022
3:44.35
Constitution Hill (GB)
5yo 11-7 9/4F
Nico de Boinville
Nicky Henderson (GB)
2021
3:56.32
Appreciate It (IRE)
7yo 11-7 8/11F
Paul Townend
W P Mullins (IRE)
2020
4:08.20
Shishkin (IRE)
6yo 11-7 6/1
Nico de Boinville
Nicky Henderson (GB)
2019
3:59.56
Klassical Dream (FR)
5yo 11-7 6/1
R Walsh
W P Mullins (IRE)
2018
4:05.00
Summerville Boy (IRE)
6yo 11-7 9/1
Noel Fehily
Tom George (GB)
2017
3:53.20
Labaik (FR)
6yo 11-7 25/1
Jack Kennedy
Gordon Elliott (IRE)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle have been based:

  • IRE: 12 winners with an additional 17 placings from 131 runners
  • GB: 8 winners with an additional 23 placings from 167 runners
  • FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners

2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Replay


Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trainer Statistics

The leading trainer in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race seven times, with those seven winners coming from Ebaziyan (2007), Champagne Fever (2013), Vautour (2014), Douvan (2015), Klassical Dream (2019), Appreciate It (2021) and Kopek Des Bordes (2025). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle is Nicky Henderson (4 wins).

Here are some of the top Supreme Novices' Hurdle trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
W P Mullins55-7-14+9.90-9.67
Nicky Henderson31-4-16-12.87-7.68
Gordon Elliott13-1-5+13.00+6.27
Paul Nicholls13-1-2-2.00-5.50
Henry De Bromhead11-1-3-6.50-3.80
Philip Hobbs7-1-2+6.00+0.50
Noel Meade4-1-1+9.00+3.00
Tom George3-1-1+7.00+2.50
Barry Connell3-1-2+2.50+2.00
Donald McCain2-1-1+9.00+4.00

Supreme Novices' Hurdle Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle over the last 20 renewals is Nico de Boinville, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Altior (2016), Shishkin (2020), Constitution Hill (2022) and Old Park Star (2026). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle is Paul Townend (2 wins).

Here are some of the top Supreme Novices' Hurdle jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Nico de Boinville8-4-5+10.13+5.78
Paul Townend17-2-4-13.60-12.04
Jack Kennedy8-1-5+18.00+11.60
Michael O'Sullivan1-1-1+4.50+2.70
Mr P W Mullins5-0-2-5.00-0.90
Sam Twiston-Davies5-0-0-5.00-5.00
Danny Mullins5-0-0-5.00-5.00
Harry Cobden5-0-0-5.00-5.00
Mark Walsh4-0-1-4.00-3.17
J J Slevin4-0-0-4.00-4.00

Supreme Novices' Hurdle Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +13.78, is when runners had 2 places in the past 90 days.

❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a Class 4 when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-89.

The course which has produced the most winners of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 6 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out.

The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 294 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 6 runners.

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle despite multiple attempts:

  • Galileo (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 7 runners)
  • Oscar (0 Wins from 5 runners)
  • Westerner (0 Wins from 5 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Ebaziyan in 2007, winning for W P Mullins at odds of 40/1 under the guidance of Davy Condon. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Before placing your bet on the 2027 Supreme Novices' Hurdle, head over to see which runners the best racing tipsters are tipping today.

Route to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Many trainers target races as preparation for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:

InfoLast Race
2026 - Old Park Star
Haydock - 1st of 6 (4/5)
Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices Hurdle
2025 - Kopek Des Bordes
Leopardstown - 1st of 10 (4/5)
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
2024 - Slade Steel
Leopardstown - 2nd of 10 (6/1)
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
2023 - Marine Nationale
Fairyhouse - 1st of 8 (11/2)
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
2022 - Constitution Hill
Sandown - 1st of 6 (2/5)
Formby Novices' Hurdle
2021 - Appreciate It
Leopardstown - 1st of 13 (1/3)
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
2020 - Shishkin
Huntingdon - 1st of 5 (1/2)
Betway Sidney Banks Memorial Novices Hurdle
2019 - Klassical Dream
Leopardstown - 1st of 7 (9/4)
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
2018 - Summerville Boy
Sandown - 1st of 5 (8/1)
Formby Novices' Hurdle
2017 - Labaik
Naas - 6th of 7 (12/1)
Paddy Power Onside App Novice Hurdle

Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival

Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day, when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. The feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Supreme Novices Hurdle
Old Park Star (IRE)
6yo - 15/8
Nicky Henderson
Nico de Boinville
14:00 Cheltenham
Arkle Challenge Trophy
Kargese (FR)
6yo - 7/1
W P Mullins
Danny Mullins
14:40 Cheltenham
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Saratoga (IRE)
4yo - 10/1
Padraig Roche
Mark Walsh
15:20 Cheltenham
Ultima Handicap Chase
Johnnywho (IRE)
9yo - 18/1
Jonjo & A J O'Neill
Richie McLernon
16:00 Cheltenham
Champion Hurdle
Lossiemouth (FR)
7yo - 7/5
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:40 Cheltenham
Festival Plate
Madara (FR)
7yo - 3/1
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
17:20 Cheltenham
National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
Holloway Queen (IRE)
6yo - 12/1
Nicky Henderson
James Bowen

Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival

The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it, and some don't!

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Turners Novices Hurdle
King Rasko Grey (FR)
6yo - 11/1
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
14:00 Cheltenham
Brown Advisory Novices Chase
Kitzbuhel (FR)
6yo - 11/1
W P Mullins
Harry Cobden
14:40 Cheltenham
BetMGM Cup
Jingko Blue (FR)
7yo - 9/2
Nicky Henderson
James Bowen
15:20 Cheltenham
Cross Country Chase
Final Orders (GB)
10yo - 7/1
Gavin Cromwell
Conor Stone-Walsh
16:00 Cheltenham
Queen Mother Champion Chase
Il Etait Temps (FR)
8yo - 5/2
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:40 Cheltenham
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual
Martator (FR)
9yo - 66/1
Venetia Williams
Charlie Deutsch
17:20 Cheltenham
Champion Bumper
The Mourne Rambler (IRE)
5yo - 15/2
Noel Meade
Colin Keane

Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival

Halfway through the festival and onto day three, where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last up the Cheltenham hill.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Mares Novices Hurdle
White Noise (IRE)
6yo - 40/1
Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls
Tom Bellamy
14:00 Cheltenham
Novices Limited Handicap Chase
Meetmebythesea (IRE)
6yo - 9/1
Ben Pauling
Ben Jones
14:40 Cheltenham
Close Brothers Mares Hurdle
Wodhooh (FR)
6yo - 5/6
Gordon Elliott
Jack Kennedy
15:20 Cheltenham
Stayers Hurdle
Home By The Lee (IRE)
11yo - 33/1
Joseph Patrick O'Brien
J J Slevin
16:00 Cheltenham
Ryanair Chase
Heart Wood (FR)
8yo - 9/2
Henry De Bromhead
Darragh O'Keeffe
16:40 Cheltenham
Pertemps Network Final
Supremely West (IRE)
8yo - 100/30
Dan Skelton
Harry Skelton
17:20 Cheltenham
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Ask Brewster (IRE)
7yo - 22/1
Mrs C Williams
Mr S Cotter

Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival

The final day of the festival and the feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.

RaceLast WinnerInfo
13:20 Cheltenham
Triumph Hurdle
Apolon De Charnie (FR)
4yo - 50/1
W P Mullins
Mr P W Mullins
14:00 Cheltenham
County Handicap Hurdle
Wilful (IRE)
7yo - 14/1
Jonjo & A J O'Neill
Jonjo O'Neill Jr
14:40 Cheltenham
Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase
Dinoblue (FR)
9yo - 11/8
W P Mullins
Mark Walsh
15:20 Cheltenham
Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
Johnnys Jury (IRE)
6yo - 20/1
Jamie Snowden
Gavin Sheehan
16:00 Cheltenham
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Gaelic Warrior (GER)
8yo - 11/4
W P Mullins
Paul Townend
16:40 Cheltenham
Festival Hunters Chase
Barton Snow (IRE)
9yo - 9/2
J J O'Shea
Mr Henry Crow
17:20 Cheltenham
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Air Of Entitlement (IRE)
7yo - 10/1
Henry De Bromhead
Patrick M O'Brien

Article Contributor Information

We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Supreme Novices' Hurdle Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.

Darren Brett

Darren Brett

Expert Guide

Darren has worked in the horse racing industry for decades bringing to OLBG for the last 20 years a wealth of knowledge, creating much of our content on these sports. Darren also manages our Grand National Guide and is the go-to font of knowledge for the world's greatest steeplechase.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Expert Guide

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for jump racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful national hunt racing blogs for OLBG.

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