Cheltenham Festival: The horse that could hammer our traders in the first race

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle almost always provides an exhilarating curtain raiser to the Cheltenham Festival, with punters keen to get the week off to a good start.

The 2021 renewal looks set to be a competitive contest with Metier and Zanahiyr among the potential runners along with ante-post favourite Appreciate It.

Speaking on our special Countdown To Cheltenham podcast, Frank Hickey revealed what would be the worst possible result for Paddy Power since we went non-runner money back in all races at the festival.

You can listen to the full show BELOW.

Since we’ve gone non-runner money back our worst result would be Ganapathi off the back of punters worrying he would win the Moscow Flyer at Punchestown and shorten considerably. Ganapathi came second and was probably just a little bit too close to the pace as Dreal Deal picked it up in a slow finish.

We laid a bit at an initial price of 16/1 for Appreciate It but most of the money on him so far has been for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. We cut to 12s just before Christmas when it was looking likely he’d be declared for the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

As Appreciate It won the Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at the weekend you’d imagine he’ll end up anywhere between 5/4 and 6/4.

DON’T MISS

• DON’T MISS OUR BRAND NEW SNAZZY RACECARDS FOR EVERY SINGLE RACE TODAY
• THEN CHECK OUT ALL THE WINNERS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE WITH OUR FAST RESULTS

You’re not looking too far beyond the obvious in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The favourite is usually thereabouts and we will want to be really competitively priced until we have a lot more information on all the runners about the week before March 16.

Our two worst losers in the ante-post book are Flinteur Sacre and Ballyadam. Flinteur Sacre had a big reputation and Ballyadam’s bubble burst at Christmas when he only came fourth in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Antepost Tips

Ruby Walsh: “APPRECIATE IT has the pace to win, he’s a good jumper and ticks all the right boxes”

Frank Hickey: “MY DROGO is the one who has impressed me”

FULL PREVIEW: SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE TIPS FROM RUBY WALSH AND FRANK HICKEY

Read More on Cheltenham 2021

• Cheltenham Festival dates, race times and those all-important ante-post tips from our experts
• Cheltenham tips: Frank Hickey’s Lucky 15 to live the dream
• Cheltenham tips: The 6 favourites worth following at the festival

The Paddy Power Guide To Responsible Gambling – Everything You Need To Know