Cheltenham Tips: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2026 Preview, Runners & Best Bet

The roar. That’s what sets the Supreme apart. There is nothing in racing quite like the moment the tapes go up for the opening contest of the Cheltenham Festival, when months of hype, whispers and trial performances finally collide over a furious two miles.

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle does not just begin the biggest week of the jumps season, it shapes it. Future stars announce themselves here, reputations can unravel in seconds and the tone for the entire Festival is set before the field even turns for home.

Billy Grimshaw is fizzing with excitement for this year’s renewal and sets out his case below for the horse he believes can light up the opening day. For his full race-by-race Cheltenham tips throughout the Festival, visit the dedicated hub.

At first glance it looks a straightforward contest, but the Supreme rarely is. The favourite brings obvious class, the Irish challenge is deep as ever and there are one or two lurking just beneath the radar. In a race that often rewards tactical speed and Festival temperament over hype, it pays to dig a little deeper than the headline price.

Just twice in the last decade has the Supreme Novices' Hurdle finished without a Willie Mullins trained horse in the first three. You'll have to excuse me, dear reader, for not scanning the full fields in each of those ten races, but I'd wager there has not been a season when the master of Closutton has had such an average looking bunch of novice hurdlers at two miles heading into the race. I am typing this piece with Mighty Park markedly shorter for the Turners and certainly a potential star, than this race on the exchanges, which means Mullins' first string and presumably the horse Paul Townend will ride is Leader D'allier.

If you fancy him for this race, I'd back him now as once he has Townend confirmed he'll more than likely shorten substantially, however he is not for me. His maiden hurdle win, on heavy ground at Punchestown, was impressive enough as he made all to score by almost ten lengths but that form has not been franked since and it's unlikely he'll get that type of ground at Cheltenham  for all we have had a very wet winter indeed. 

Indeed, I can see this being an uncharacteristically slow start for the whole Irish raiding party, with doubts lingering over the two biggest challengers to Nicky Henderson's short priced favourite Old Park Star (more on him later). Talk The Talk was en-route to recording a very impressive win in a Leopardstown Grade 1 over Christmas before tipping up at the last with the race seemingly at his mercy, but he made amends by battling back gamely to win at the DRF. For all that he showed admirable spirit that day, i would've wanted to see him pull further clear of Ballyfad and King Rasko Grey, who are also entered in here. Perhaps I'll be proven way off and they'll finish 1-2-3 again here, but I doubt it.

El Cairos is the next Irish name in the betting and anyone with a pair of eyes can see he's got talent coming out of his ears. Jack Kennedy said the name that will forever be synonymous with this race Labaik when claiming this lad is the fastest he has sat on since that mythical grey, but jumping is the name of the game and I do not trust he will get round here given the mistakes he's made so far in his career enough to back him at the current odds, even though the race will set up nicely for a speedy closer like him.

Back to the short priced favourite then, and if you are on Old Park Star at bigger prices and were frowning in anticipation for me attempting to put you off, unfurrow that brow. I rate him the most likely winner and while the comparisons to certainly Altior and perhaps even Shishkin seem premature at this stage, I don't think he'll have to run to the level of either of those horses to claim glory here for Nicky. What he has done so far over hurdles has been as close to perfect as you can ask for from a novice, and while it is unusual he has clearly taken his trainer by surprise so drastically this season - Henderson was not shy in musing he believed Act Of Innocence in the same silks to be if not the better horse, certainly the quicker, at the start of the season - he is clearly another brilliant Hendo hot pot who will almost certainly be in the mix here before heading the Arkle market for 2027.

It has been discussed ad nauseum that this will be a Festival unlike most others given the stark lack of short priced favourites across the 28 races, but the point is valid and with that backdrop I am not itching to put up horses at 2/1 in the quest to make readers a penny or two. With my reservations over the Irish party that will be attempting to win this race, it makes sense to back one at a nice price each-way who has a win chance should the favourite underperform and even if he can only manage a place, the pay out will be similar to if one had simply backed Old Park Star.

The race I'll be focusing is one I almost dismissed at the time, ironically, the Formby up at Aintree. Pre-race, Mydaddypaddy was the antepost Supreme favourite and was expected to dot up on Merseyside to further enhance his claims. The script was not followed, however, by Harry Fry's Champion Bumper sixth from 2025 IDAHO SUN, who is my recommended each-way bet for the 2026 Supreme. Champion Bumper horses often evolve into stayers, but sometimes we see a stayer win the Supreme and I'd not be surprised to see this lad do just that before potentially being aimed at a Gold Cup one day.

At Aintree the excuse from Mydaddypaddy's camp was his main asset - his jumping - was negated due to omitted hurdles because of low sun. With Idaho Sun's good bumper form it was taken as fact that the second would reverse form when they met again, but I am not convinced. Idaho Sun actually should have finished closer in last year's Champion Bumper and came home with the wettest of wet sails to bag sixth. That race will not be looked back on as one of the strongest renewals, but given Idaho Sun was value for more there is an argument to be made he should be ahead of El Cairos in the antepost lists here, the horse who finished fifth.

He has certainly done more on paper over hurdles, with a routine maiden win despite a bad mistake at the penultimate hurdle followed by another progressive win and the aforementioned Formby success, he is underestimated at present in the odds grids and has an excellent chance of hitting the frame or more. Old Park Star is oozing a bit of star quality, but behind him this is anyone's race and I like Fry's chances of at the very least bagging minor honours in the 2026 Festival opener.