Supreme Novices Hurdle

Introduced	1946
Racecourse	Cheltenham, Old Course
Race Distance	Approximately 2m 1/2f
Entry Conditions	Novice horses aged 4 and over
Current Sponsor	SkyBet
Date & Time	Day 1 / Tuesday 16th March 2021 / 13:30
Leading Jockey	Ruby Walsh with 6 wins
Leading Trainer	Willie Mullins with 6 wins

The Supreme Novices Hurdle is a race which takes place on the Old Course at the Cheltenham Festival. It is run over a distance of around 2 miles and 1/2 furlong, contains eight hurdles and is open to novice horses ages four and over. Novice horses in this category are those which have not won over hurdles prior to the start of the current season. The race is the first to take place each year at the Cheltenham Festival and kick-starts the four days of racing with the crowd performing the infamous ‘Cheltenham Roar’ which is an enormously loud cheer from Cheltenham spectators as the horses go off.

The Supreme Novices Hurdle dates back to 1946 and was originally called the Gloucestershire Hurdle. In 1974, Lloyds Bank sponsored the race and it was renamed the Lloyds Bank Champion Novices’ Hurdle. ‘Supreme’ was added to the name in 1978 when Waterford Crystal started to back the race and now the current sponsor precedes the name.

Supreme Novices Hurdle Past Winners

Year		Horse	Age	Price	Trainer	Jockey	Distances
2020	1st	Shishkin	6	6-1	NJ Henderson	Nico de Boinville
	2nd	Abacadabras	6	11-4	G Elliott	D N Russell	Head
	3rd	Chantry House	6	9-4f	N J Henderson	B J Geraghty	11 lengths
–
2019	1st	Klassical Dream	5	16-1	WP Millins	Ruby Walsh
	2nd	Thomas Darby	6	20-1	Olly Murphy	R Johnson	4 1/2 Lengths
	3rd	Itchy Feet	5	80-1	Olly Murphy	G Sheehan	Half a length
–
2018	1st	Summerville Boy	6	7-1	T R George	N D Fehily
	2nd	Kalashnikov	5	4-1	Amy Murphy	Jack Quinlan	Neck
	3rd	Mengli Khan	5	10-1	G Elliott	J W Kennedy	1 3/4 Lengths
–
2017	1st	Labaik	6	25-1	G Elliott	J W Kennedy
	2nd	Melon	5	3-1 J	W P Mullins	Ruby Walsh	4 1/2 Lengths
	3rd	River Wylde	6	8-1	N J Henderson	Nico de Boinville	3 lengths
–
2016	1st	Altior	6	4-1	N J Henderson	Nico de Boinville
	2nd	Min	5	15-8	W P Mullins	Ruby Walsh	7 Lengths
	3rd	Buveur D’Air	5	10-1	N J Henderson	N D Fehily	1 1/2 Lengths
–
2015	1st	Douvan	5	2-1	W P Mullins	Ruby Walsh
	2nd	Shaneshill	6	9-1	W P Mullins	P Townend	4 1/2 Lengths
	3rd	Sizing John	5	25-1	H De Bromhead	J Burke	2 1/2 Lengths

Supreme Novices Hurdle Trends

• 20 of the last 23 Supreme Novices Hurdle winners had won their last race
• 14 of the last 15 Supreme Novices Hurdle winners were aged 5 or 6
• 19 of the last 25 Supreme Novices Hurdle winners had ran in 45 days leading up to the race

Supreme Novices Hurdle Betting Offers

In the run-up and during the Cheltenham Festival, bookmakers run an increased amount of betting offers. With an estimated £500 million bet on Cheltenham each year, bookmakers are fighting for your business. This allows punters to take advantage of a number of Cheltenham offers such as free bets, money-back specials, extra places, best odds guaranteed, price boosts and much more. The majority of the big name bookmakers will be running offers for Cheltenham including William Hill, Betfair, Betfred and Bet365.

Below, you’ll find a list of Cheltenham betting offers which you’re likely to see available this year.