The Cheltenham roar is the cacophony of noise made by the thousands of racing fans in the grandstands when the starter raises the tape for the first race of the festival.
This race on the opening Tuesday is of course the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, a Grade 1 race that runs on the Old Course over 2 miles and 1/2 furlong.
So which horses will you be roaring home in the Supreme this year? Let’s take a look at the state of play in the current ante-post market if you fancy a bet on Cheltenham now.
Facile Vega (3/1) still heads the list despite his price drifting markedly since his Dublin Racing Festival defeat.
Before the DRF Willie Mullins’ six-year-old was unbeaten in six career starts but he was inexplicably beaten by stable mate Il Etait Temps.
Naturally he will have to put that episode behind him, but if the real Facile Vega turns up he could rip this field apart at the rather generous odds of 3/1.
Challenging Facile Vega for top spot in the ante-post online horse racing betting is the Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale (4/1) who is unbeaten in four starts and won the Royal Bond earlier in the season.
The stable say Marine Nationale is in excellent form and great things are expected of him and his jockey at the Festival.
There was a seismic shift in the market when Il Etait Temps (5/1) upset the odds and thrashed Facile Vega at Leopardstown. Il Etait Temps carries the well known silks of the Hollywood Syndicate and Barnane Stud.
This particular syndicate have had a multitude of winners this season and it would come as no surprise if they were to bag one at the Cheltenham Festival.
Another with a great chance in this renewal is the Willie Mullins-trained Impaire Et Passe (7/1) has won both of his starts since arriving from France.
Impaire Et Passe took the Moscow Flyer Novices' Hurdle at Punchestown last month and he looks a very exciting prospect and can easily be involved in the closing stages here.The five-year-old mare Luccia (10/1) would be a strong contender if she lines up but Nicky Henderson has hinted that the Mares race on the third day of the Festival could well be the preferred target so it is wise to just keep a watchful eye on her.
Having won all three of his starts over hurdles this term Tahmuras (7/1) looks to have a chance for the Brits. There was plenty to like about his Tolworth Hurdle victory at Sandown last month and he did it with some ease too.
Gaelic Warrior (5/1) was an unlucky loser in the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle at last year’s Festival season, but undeterred he has gone from strength to strength and recently won a big handicap at Leopardstown.
He may however run in the Ballymore so tread carefully.
An outsider for the Supreme could come in the shape of Willie Mullins’ Diverge (14/1), who recently posted a wide-margin success at Punchestown in a maiden hurdle.
Diverge was formerly trained by Freddy Head and is a son of Frankel. He wouldn’t be the silliest each-way interest you could have in the race.
Suggested Supreme Novices Hurdle Bet: Impaire Et Passe (E/W)
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
