Cheltenham Festival - Supreme Novice Hurdle Preview 2012

The Supreme Novice Hurdle is the traditional Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser and once again in 2012 a quality field of potential two-mile hurdling stars will be sent on their way by the notorious Cheltenham roar.

Paul Nicholls’ Al Ferof charged up the Prestbury Park hill to claim the honours in 2011 and this year it is Nicky Henderson’s Darlan who heads a market of runners all looking to potentially fill his shoes.

Barry Geraghty steered the five-year-old to an impressive success at Taunton in January – a result which enabled Darlan to take his hand in the prestigious betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month.

A Grade three triumph all but beckoned for Darlan as he travelled powerfully to the second last, however there was no way back after the horse lost his footing and took a heavy fall.

Despite that disappointment, punters appear to have latched on to how well Darlan was going in such hot handicap company and it was fair to say he would have been more than a match for winner and Champion Hurdle fancy Zarkandar had he stayed on all fours.

Darlan has subsequently been backed off the boards and looks like being a popular, early Festival gamble.

Owner JP McManus will also feel he has a genuine chance of getting his Cheltenham off to a flyer and Darlan is currently hovering around 11/2 to prevail – a price which looks set to tumble further in the build-up to the greatest show on turf.

The main challengers to Darlan include Cinders And Ashes, Colour Squadron and Vulcanite.

The former, trained by Donald McCain, ran a blinder to finish fifth in last year’s Champion Bumper and as expected the five-year-old was always going to improve further when stepping up to hurdles. After finishing a creditable second behind Broadbackbob on his reappearance at Ascot, Cinders And Ashes has since racked up three consecutive victories which have been notably comfortable if unspectacular.

He is likely to benefit from a strongly run race which is sure to happen and has to be respected coming from the most progressive yard of the season.

Colour Squadron is clearly well thought of by top trainer Phillip Hobbs and can get in amongst the thick of things should everything come together.

Things haven’t quite fallen right for the horse during a flat spell for Hobbs and their luck was well and truly out when Colour Squadron took a dive in a top novice contest at Newbury in February.

Nevertheless, the six-year-old looked all over the eventual winner Montbazon and his fast cruising speed will be well suited to Cheltenham’s stiff finish.

Vulcanite was well beaten into second that day however Charlie Longsdon’s smart flat recruit should not be written off as connections felt that conditions weren’t to suit and the horse would improve vastly for the run leading into the Festival.

Prospect Wells, Galileo’s Choice and Steps to Freedom also warrant a decent check whilst Nicky Henderson’s other top novice Simonsig will be a leading fancy if he runs – although the grey seems set to take his chance in the Neptune Novice Hurdle with Henderson likely to keep him apart from Darlan.

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03/03/2012     © Frixo 2024