The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the first race of the Cheltenham Festival and in 2027 takes place at 1.20pm on Tuesday 16th March. A Grade 1 race run over 2m 87y, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is set to attract a top notch field of youngsters this year.
Our top team of tipsters will provide their best bets for the 2026 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle nearer the off.
Matty Sutcliffe’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tip
Matty is confident that Talk The Talk brings the strongest form to the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. His victory last time out came from an improbable position and he can take a bigger step forward.
Andrew Mount’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tip
Andrew agrees that Talk The Talk is the horse for the opener. Andrew sees the race as having a number of front-runners, which should set up well for this classy hold-up performer to bring his best.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2026 Bookmaker Odds – Race 1, Tuesday 10th March 1:20
All About The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2027
The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 for novice hurdlers only. With eight flights of hurdles to jump, emphasis is on swift jumping and powerful galloping to last home up the Cheltenham hill. The pace is often frenetic.
The 2026 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle looks a wide open renewal and Nicky Henderson’s Old Park Star looks a leading contender. However, the likes of Mighty Park, Talk The Talk and El Cairos could be leading challengers to the Seven Barrows performer for the Tuesday opener on March 10.
Qualifications/Trends
We pick out some of the key Supreme Novices’ Hurdle trends for the 2026 renewal…
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle History
In the days of shorter Cheltenham Festivals and in its guise as the Gloucestershire Hurdle, this race would often have more than one division due to bumper numbers within the entries.
Nowadays, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, run under its new title since 1978, is a single championship race. Due to its position at the very start of the Festival, it is often the most talked about race, aside from the four features, of the entire meeting.
Even in the days of split races this contest had a habit of birthing a superstar. Future Champion Hurdler Bula was a winner of the second division in 1970, but perhaps more remarkably, L’Escargot, he of Gold Cup and Grand National fame, won the same race and division in 1968.
Such is the allure of chasing, that despite this race and the Champion Hurdle being on the same day, course and distance, no horse has completed the double since Brave Inca. Even then, he took a couple of seasons to manage it.
As such, only one horse, since the race became a single entity, has won the Supreme and then gone on to win the Champion Hurdle the following season: Constitution Hull in 2023. It is an extraordinary statistic when considering the success of races in other divisions, though third-placed finishers, Jezki (2013) and Buveur D’Air (2016) did win the following year’s Champion Hurdle.
Indeed, more Gold Cup winners have got close to winning this race than Champion Hurdlers. All of Best Mate, Kicking King and War Of Attrition have been runner-up in this before embarking on a totally different National Hunt path.
Winners since 2000
| Year | Horse | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sausalito Bay | J:Paul Carberry T:Noel Meade | 14/1 |
| 2001 | VOID | J:N/A T:N/A | VOID |
| 2002 | Like -A-Butterfly | J:Charlie Swan T:Christy Roche | 7/4F |
| 2003 | Back in Front | J:Norman Williamson T:Edward O’Grady | 3/1F |
| 2004 | Brave Inca | J:Barry Cash T:Colm Murphy | 7/2F |
| 2005 | Arcalis | J:Graham Lee T:Howard Johnson | 20/1 |
| 2006 | Noland | J:Ruby Walsh T:Paul Nicholls | 6/1 |
| 2007 | Ebaziyan | J:Davy Condon T:Willie Mullins | 40/1 |
| 2008 | Captain Cee Bee | J:Robert Thornton T:Eddie Harty | 17/2 |
| 2009 | Go Native | J:Paul Carberry T:Noel Meade | 12/1 |
| 2010 | Menorah | J:Richard Johnson T:Phillip Hobbs | 12/1 |
| 2011 | Al Ferof | J:Ruby Walsh T:Paul Nicholls | 10/1 |
| 2012 | Cinders And Ashes | J:Jason Maguire T:Donald McCain | 8/11F |
| 2013 | Champagne Fever | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 5/1 |
| 2014 | Vautour | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 7/2F |
| 2015 | Douvan | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 2/1F |
| 2016 | Altior | J:Nico de Boinville T:Nicky Henderson | 4/1 |
| 2017 | Labaik | J:Jack Kennedy T:Gordon Elliott | 25/1 |
| 2018 | Summerville Boy | J:Noel Fehily T:Tom George | 9/1 |
| 2019 | Klassical Dream | J:Ruby Walsh T:Willie Mullins | 6/1 |
| 2020 | Shishkin | J:Nico de Boinville T:Nicky Henderson | 6/1 |
| 2021 | Appreciate It | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 8/11F |
| 2022 | Constitution Hill | J:Nico de Boinville T:Nicky Henderson | 9/4J |
| 2023 | Marine Nationale | J:Michael O’Sullivan T:Barry Connell | 9/2 |
| 2024 | Slade Steel | J:Henry De Bromhead T:Rachael Blackmore | 4/1 |
| 2025 | Kopek Des Bordes | J:Paul Townend T:Willie Mullins | 4/6F |
| 2026 | Old Park Star | J:Nico de Boinville T:Nicky Henderson | 15/8F |
Cheltenham Festival Racing Schedule – Day 1
| Time | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 2:00 | Arkle Challenge Trophy | 1m 7f 199y |
| 2.40 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 3:20 | Ultima Handicap Chase | 3m 1f |
| 4:00 | Champion Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 4.40 | Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase | 2m 4f 127y |
| 5:20 | National Hunt Chase | 3m 5f 201y |