The 2025 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle has unearthed some National Hunt gems throughout the years and Willie Mullins is responsible for half of the field in this year’s bid to provide the diamond in the curtain-raiser for his seventh success in the race. The British have just two competitors to attempt to stop the Irish battalion, but at top prices of 25/1 and 100/1, such an opening scenario may foreshadow the inevitable Irish domination of the Prestbury Park cup once more.
KOPEK DES BORDES
(Paul Townend/Willie Mullins)
The unbeaten Kopek Des Bordes is undeniably one of the most talented geldings in this line up having bolted up by thirteen lengths in the G1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice’ Hurdle at Leopardstown last time out, despite having pulled the arms out of Paul Townend throughout. His jumping was a huge improvement from when beating subsequent winner Kawaboomga on hurdles debut, but the hood has been applied this time around to keep a lid on his fractious tendencies. The application of headgear isn’t necessarily a positive, however, given hurdlers in a hood are 0-34 at the festival in the last ten seasons.
ROMEO COOLIO
(Jack Kennedy/Gordon Elliott)
Jack Kennedy and Gordon Elliott last won this together with an unlikely source in Labaik in 2017, and the talented jockey has made a last ditch comeback to recover from his latest injury in an attempt to grab further festival glory. Last season’s Champion Bumper second Romeo Coolio stayed on strongly without seriously threatening Jasmin De Vaux, but shaped as if the combination of a stamina-laden test of speed in the Supreme would naturally suit him with aplomb. His hurdles debut didn’t particularly tell us much given the starting price of 2/13F in an ordinary Down Royal maiden hurdle, but his Royal Bond disappointment told us that a slowly run tactical affair is certainly not his forte. He bounced back to form to take the G1 Future Champions at Leopardstown which has throw up two of the last four Supreme Novice winners, and he looks a rock solid each way bet judged on that last effort.
WORKAHEAD
(Rachael Blackmore/Henry De Bromhead)
Last year’s winning jockey/training partnership team up with Workahead to land back-to-back renewals of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and has been steadily well supported of late. Having shaped well on hurdles debut without threatening the pair in front of him, he duly came on for the run next time out when making all to beat a subsequent smart winner in William Munny by seven lengths, with the third winning twice since over fences, the fourth going in last time out and the 28-length fifth also winning twice since, latterly in G3 company. Workahead will have to cope with other pace contenders this time around, but he’s bred to appreciate further in time and a strongly run contest will unearth any surpluses of stamina that’s there throughout his pedigree.
WILLIAM MUNNY
(Sean Flanagan/Barry Connell)
There won’t be a dry eye in the house if connections of Marine Nationale can land the opener with William Munny in the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, run in the name of the incredibly talented twenty four year old who sadly lost his life after a fatal fall at Thurles early last month. William Munny is one of three applied with a first time hood in here despite looking a consummate professional after landing the listed Sheila Bourne Novice Hurdle at Punchestown last month, though he has something to prove in order to reverse the earlier form with both Workahead and Kawaboomga. With the furious amount of early pace on here, should the hood settle him well in rear early on that naturally any collapse of pace late on will see him staying on strongly up the hill late on.
SALVATOR MUNDI
(Patrick Mullins/Willie Mullins)
Last year’s Triumph Hurdle sixth Salvator Mundi came with a big reputation having finished second to Sir Gino at Auteuil in April 2023, and bolstered that of some sort when a distant sixty two length winner of a Tipperary Maiden Hurdle last May in a first time hood. The previous application of a tongue tie/ hood was reused in the Moscow Flyer, and despite looking unlikely throughout, he stayed on strongly once regathering his stride to win going away in the manner of one well suited to the Supreme test. There’s been murmurs regarding some wind issues, hence the tongue tie, but given his earlier reputation he looks a fair price to put it up to his stablemate with the race likely to pan out in his favour.
REST OF THE FIELD
Irancy is something of a dark horse going coming in here as he was an eye-catcher behind Firefox and Ballyburn in a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle last season, though was ruled out for the remainder of the calendar presumably through injury. The Saddex gelding returned to action in November with a facile victory at Punchestown, pulling nine lengths clear of Will The Wise who’s now rated 131 after two subsequent victories and now prominent in the Pertemps Final market. He’s been kept fresh for this presumably due to his fragile nature, and he needs respecting on the balance of the overall form he’s show so far.
Tripoli Flyer is the best of the two British hopes at 25/1 which is a detriment to the overall level of our two mile hurdlers this season, and he has something to prove on this undulating, left handed track. He’s 3/3 going right handed over hurdles including taking the G2 Dovecote last time out, and he can’t be entirely discounted on that evidence, but his sole defeat over hurdles came around the left handed undulations of Chepstow which does temper enthusiasm, for all the winner has franked the form twice since.
Karbau, Karniquet and Funiculi Funicula complete the Mullins consortium and all three remain with some potential, with both Sky Lord and Tutti Quanti filling the field. Tutti Quanti’s overall profile would see him needing to find 25lbs or so to get competitive, but Sky Lord is perhaps the one overlooked in the market given how impressive he was on hurdles debut when cantering past a subsequent 17-length winner for Willie Mullins, and he wasn’t entirely disgraced when a front running fourth in the Moscow Flyer.
VERDICT
KOPEK DES BORDES is rated 2lbs higher going into this than when Douvan was prior to his Supreme success in 2015, and even if the historically bad omen of the hood doesn’t quite settle him to the desired effect, a repeat of his Leopardsown romp would see him very tough to beat here as an end to end gallop looks to be what he’ll devour. He’s not a betting proposition at evens, but he looks to be the most naturally talented horse in the field and with stamina clearly in abundance both visually and throughout his pedigree, it’s hard not to envisage him putting up a big performance if his jumping continues to improve.
2025 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 1-2-3
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