This fantastic, first race on day one at Prestbury Park, signals the opening of the world famous Cheltenham Festival. Scheduled to run on March 13, on Tuesday at 1.30pm, GMT, this Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt race, taking place over the Old Course, at just over two miles and 87 yards, over eight hurdles, for horses over four years old. The 2017 winner of this race was Labaik, ridden by jockey Jack Kennedy, by trainer Gordon Elliot and came in at 25-1. 2nd place was Melon (3-1) and 3rd place River Wylde (8-1).
This first race sees the runners set off to the roar of the crowd in the grandstand – the famous “Cheltenham Roar”, with the origins of the Cheltenham Festival itself dating back to 1860, albeit in its current location at Prestbury Park since 1911.
The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle race has an impressive history of previous contenders, including Douvan and Vautour while one of the most memorable winners was in 2016, when Altior, trained by Nicky Henderson easily outran Rich Ricci. This year sees two horses set for an outstanding battle, with Samcro and Getabird both expected to excel at the hurdles.
Being one of the most prestigious events in the racing world, the Cheltenham Festival stages a number of exhilarating races that showcase both the riders and the horses.
