As of right now, Cheltenham fever is at its peak.
With the action set to commence less than a week from today, it’s all anybody can talk about. And one man who has tongues wagging is Willie Mullins, who’s keeping his options firmly open ahead of the contest.
With three runners – Sir Gerhard, Dysart Dynamo, and Kilcruit – entered for both the Supreme and Ballymore Novices Hurdle, how he’ll choose to play it is anyone’s guess.
Down to the line
With the excitement building, bookmakers across the globe are responding by offering incredibly competitive odds. If you’re looking for specific Cheltenham Festival betting offers, you won’t have to go far. The build-up is so intense that even directory sites are busily producing guides to the festival to help punters make the best possible selections.
One thing we’re struggling to call, however, is how Willie Mullins will proceed once the big event begins. As the most successful Festival trainer in history, we have to trust he knows what he’s doing – but that hasn’t made the speculation any less intense.
Known for leaving his decisions until the last minute, he’s stayed true to form in 2022 and now seems unlikely to make a final choice until Sunday, when all declarations must officially be made.
17 confirmations for the Supreme Novices Hurdle
Currently, Mullins has three of his top horses entered for both the Supreme and Ballymore Novices Hurdle, with Sir Gerhard the favourite for both. Dysart Dynamo and Kilcruit are also dual entries, with no obvious answer as to what the trainer will choose to do.
The Supreme Novices Hurdle is the opening event of the Cheltenham Festival 2022 and has 17 confirmed runners.
Sir Gerhard being the favourite comes as no surprise to those who’ve been following his performance in recent months. Winner of the Champion Bumper in 2021, he’s claimed victory in both of his previous outings over hurdles. At the Dublin Racing Festival, in particular, he did this in style, storming to the finish line six lengths ahead of the second-place competitor.
Strong competition
While Sir Gerhard seems like an obvious choice to win, Mullins’ other entrants could put up a fierce fight if they also end up running in the contest. Dysart Dynamo, for example, won the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle on his last outing – a race that has a track record for revealing the Supreme winner ahead of time.
Kilcruit has also shown form, finishing second to Sir Gerhard in last year’s Bumper. While the latter seemingly outclasses him, we’d still caution against counting him out prematurely.
Also entered in the race are Mullins’ trained runners Bring on the Night, El Fabiolo, Farout, Grangee and State Man.
Nicky Henderson has multiple contenders in the contest too, with both Constitution Hill and Jonbon competing. However, he’s already made clear his intention to run both in the race.
When it comes to choosing a likely winner, the competition is undoubtedly fierce, with many fantastic horses running. Who takes the crown – and who will run at all – is anyone’s guess.
Jack Timms is an independent writer with 8 years experience in writing sports articles for various magazines and newspapers. Most of his work is on horse racing or football, and he has written for magazines such as Thoroughbred Racing and Luxuria Lifestyle. Jack lives in York with his dog, Poppins.
