The traditional curtain raiser to the festival where horse and jockey are sent on their way by the famous Guiness-fuelled "roar" of the crowd. Months of anticipation finally forgotten as the greatest horse racing festival on earth gets under way. Check out the wikipedia page for facts and history. The winner of the previous year's Cheltenham Bumper is often a warm order for this race but that has usually ended in spectacular failure and the overflowing of bookies satchels, most noticably in recent years with Dunguib and Cue Card. Surprising then, that last year's winner, Champagne Fever, who won the 2012 Cheltenham Bumper, was allowed to go off at 7/1 for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh. The climb up the Cheltenham hill can often find out novices in this race and for me you need a horse that stays beyond 2 miles - a perfect example in 2013 when Champagne Fever wore down the strongly travelling My Tent Or Yours. Early September 2013 and the market is headed by the 2013 Cheltenham Bumper winner, Briar Hill, closely followed by Henry Ponsonby's Ebor winner Tiger Cliff, who will move to Alan King's yard for a winter campaign (prices courtesy of Oddschecker, Bet 365 odds): Briar Hill 10 Tiger Cliff 12 Regal Encore 16 West Wizard 20 First Mohican 20 Faugheen 20 Golantilla 20 Empiracle 20 Moyle Park 20 25-1 Bar Anyone fancying a speculative punt at this early stage can, of course, get much bigger quotes on Betfair. It is very early days in terms of this race and we are unlikely to see many changes until the more recognised trials are run. These include the Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse in early December, the novice hurdle on Kempton's big Boxing Day card, the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown a day later, the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, the Deloitte Novices Hurdle in February and the Supreme Novices Hurdle Trial at Kempton in late February.
I backed Champagne Fever this year Oddy at 9/1 and i'll most likely back him for the Arkle if he proves capable of jumping fences. He loves that hill. I've no opinion about the Supreme novices yet. I'm very sweet on Simonsig this year.
My only ante post at the moment is on Empiracle - reinvested some winnings on him at 20s. Not a great price I must admit but I think we'll see him out early in the season and am expecting a couple of bloodless victories will see his price tumble.
I’ve said it before on the old forum and I’ll say it again. I can not see what sense lies in putting Tiger Cliff over hurdles in season 2013/14. Henry Ponsonby may be the forum’s second favourite owner but this horse is still a relative baby and deserves his shot, next season, at some of the leading staying races on the Flat. His next race will more than likely be in either the £250,000 Cesarwitch or the £200,000 Long Distance Cup and these are the races he should be competing in not £5-£10k novice hurdles where he faces the added and brutal risk that 8 flights of hurdles bring. If he doesn’t excel on the level, at the very top, then put him over hurdles in 2014/15 if he does, old boy Ponsonby, then you will earn mega, and I do mean mega, bucks. In 2013 I was all over Mr Henderson’s TISTORY for this heat but sadly injury intervened and the old boy never made his hurdling bow until May (when a nice winner). I wouldn’t give up on him as novice hurdler of some repute but that lost year means he will be 7 (far from an ideal age) come the Festival. Another alternative though could be Mr Henderson’s RALLY who the yard purchased over the summer. Easy winner of a Roscommon bumper in June the sky, as they say, could be the limit.
Supreme Novices Hurdle Moyle Park 20/1 NRFB I'm making my first foray into the Cheltenham antepost market by backing Moyle Park 20/1 NRFB for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. A horse that I feel could be a superstar in the making, Moyle Park was unbeaten in both his bumper starts last year and is definitely the horse that I am most looking forward to seeing this season. I was present (and had backed) Moyle Park when he made a very impressive winning debut for Harry Kelly at Leopardstown's Christmas Festival last year when beating Tony Martin's very decent Blackmail by 4L and despite being a bit green at the finish he was well in command. I was supremely impressed by the manner of his victory given that all bar him and the last home had racecourse experience and it was clear then that he was a horse with considerable potential. On the back of that victory, Moyle Park was subsequently sold for £250,000 at Cheltenham's Brightwells sale back in January after a protracted battle between representatives of Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls before the sale of this 5 year old was secured to the former to be raced in the colours of Rich Ricci. Having apparently not settled into his new surroundings immediately, Willie Mullins decided to skip the Cheltenham Bumper and send Moyle Park to Punchestown a month later for the Goffs Land Rover Bumper where he put up one of the gutsiest displays you're likely to see when keeping his unbeaten record intact. Carrying a massive 12 stone that day, Moyle Park pulled incredibly hard throughout the contest in a race run at a fairly sedate gallop and with 5f to go Paddy Mullins decided he had no option but to send him to the front. In the final 2f, Moyle Park was strongly pressed on his outside and looked set to be passed but he showed tremendous grit, determination and heart to fight off the challengers to score by 3/4L. Given how hard he pulled for most of the contest, Moyle Park clearly has a huge engine to do what he did and that coupled with his brilliant battling qualities these clearly are incredibly desirable qualities in a racehorse. In addition to his pulling, Moyle Park gave a massive 15lb to the 2nd and 3rd that day (a race traditionally dominated by 4 year olds) and I was incredibly impressed by the manner of his victory. After the race, Willie Mullins reaffirmed that Moyle Park had taken a while to settle into his new surroundings and that he hadn't gotten as much work into him as he would have liked and I think his impressive victory can be upgraded as a result. That race is working out nicely with 6 subsequent winners in behind that day and Moyle Park is clearly a very exciting Novice Hurdling prospect. Despite having a lot of stamina in his pedigree, Moyle Park seems to be Willie Mullins' early Supreme Novices hope with a recent stable tour suggesting the trainers other top prospects in Faugheen and Briar Hill look set to be aimed at the staying Novice divisions. Given his tremendous battling qualities and staying pedigree, I think this season they will be uncomplicated and run Moyle Park from the front and I definitely think he has the same sort of attributes as this years Supreme Novices winner Champagne Fever for the same owner/trainer combination. Willie Mullins stated in his recent stable tour that he's in no rush to get him out but he does hold an early entry in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle on December 1st and if he's to take up that engagement then he'll surely have already gained some experience over timber. He may be seen later than that and Willie certainly seems to be taking his time with him. Although he's yet to jump a hurdle in public, given he's with Mullins he's sure to have been extensively schooled and I honestly think he is a star in the making and although I suspect he'll really come into his own over fences I think he can be a top, top addition to this seasons Novice Hurdlers. Although Willie has stated that they may step him up in trip if he finds 2m too short (free bet if he doesn't run), he looks like the yards key Supreme horse this year and although its very early days I think Moyle Park has all the attributes of a champion and if he jumps well, makes the typical improvement you'd expect of him and stays sound I firmly believe he's the one they'll all have to beat in the Supreme Novices Hurdle.
Update 18th Nov: The Liquidator does indeed look a nice prospect and he took the Grade 2 Sharp Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham's Open Meeting by 15 lengths from Sea Lord. Most firms have him around 3rd fav at 14/1 behind the yet-to-be-seen-this-season pair of West Wizard (8/1) and Briar Hill (10/1) - Briar Hill is due out tomorrow at Wexford. Faugheen and Regal Encore both opened their accounts for the season with facile successes over the last few days and feature prominently in the betting, offered as follows by Bet 365: West Wizard 8 Briar Hill 10 Tiger Cliff 12 The Liquidator, Faugheen 14 Regal Encore, Dubai Prince, Minella Foru, Valseur Lido, Irving, Oscar Rock 16 20/1 bar
Faugheen was very impressive on Sunday but i don't see him as a Supreme horse. He needs the Neptune trip as a minimum imho. Tremendous cruising speed. He'll love the fast pace at Cheltenham and I can't wait to see how he gets on.
Willie said Faugheen will be dropped in trip next time as a result of the pulling. I imagine that will be to teach him how to settle as opposed to where his future lies. Given that they go lickety split at Cheltenham he shouldn't really have an issue there but I do think its the right move by Willie. Will also help his hurdling as he'll be taking them a lot quicker over shorter.
