A 2 mile and 87 yard Grade 1 race, this years Supreme Novices Hurdle has (at the time of writing) 22 entrants vying for a £84,405 first prize. Run on Cheltenhams Old Course, competing horses have to be aged 4 years and older. Paul Towend won this race last year on the Willie Mullins trained “Kopek Des Bordes”. The current going is “soft”.

Tips

Ruby Walsh: “There’s great strength in it. I’d want something bigger than 2/1.”

Lydia Hislop: “There’s plenty of pace on. It’s going to be well run and that’ll put some pressure on Talk The Talk‘s jumping.”

Tony Mullins: “If you worry about anyone's jumping, El Cairos hasn’t shown any indication that he learned anything from day one to day two. Leader d’Allier was massively impressive the last day at Punchestown. He’s run eight times in his life and he’s only been beaten twice – and that was twice he didn’t wear a tongue-tie.”

Johnny Dineen: “It’s a deep race and at least one or more will be better than Old Park Star.”

Sportingnews.com go with Old Park Star, stating the following; “Old Park Star enters the fray as one of the early ante-post leaders based on recent dominant displays, with strong Irish and British form contesting the race.”

Over at GG.com, writers Matthew Sutcliffe and Joe Napier go for Talk The Talk and Old Park Star respectively.

The Telegraph's Marcus Armytage says “I was hoping that we could keep Newbury novice winner Sober Glory a secret among ourselves but the clock gave it away – nearly two seconds quicker than Tutti Quanti, winner of the William Hill Hurdle. I was stood by the last and Sober Glory, who made all the running, was virtually the only horse to quicken up all day as he cruised to a 27-length win over a horse he had previously beaten by 12 lengths.

The Supreme, his target, looks one of the most competitive races at the Festival. Nicky Henderson has Old Park Star, the favourite, but the Irish pair Talk The Talk and El Cairos look good, while Dan Skelton has Mydaddypaddy. But in a hot race I still like the Philip Hobbs-Johnson White trained Sober Glory – whatever the ground. Harry Cobden certainly did not put me off him”.

At racingpost.com, Tom Park, Maddy Playle, Nick Watts and Tommy Segal all back Old Park Star