Sky Bet are offering new and existing customers a £5 free bet on the opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
So we asked some of our experts how they're going to be spending theirs in the opening race of the meeting - the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle...
Forecast joy for Mullins
Nic Doggett: Kopek Des Bordes is being spoken about as the next great, and whilst we’ve heard that sort of thing before, his performance at Leopardstown suggested the whispers might not be wrong. So, what follows him home? Romeo Coolio is also a proven Grade 1 winner but I don’t think that was the greatest race, while Salvator Mundi didn’t look a natural hurdler last time. In contrast, his stablemate Irancy produced a very fluent performance when winning on his comeback and I think this race could be set up perfectly for a horse who Willie Mullins described as ‘Grade 1 material’ in a recent Sporting Life stable tour. JP McManus loves this race and, having had Mystical Power finish second a year ago, let's back Irancy to do the same with the KOPEK DES BORDES/IRANCY straight forecast.
Making Munny in the Supreme
Ben Linfoot: Kopek Des Bordes looks the best long-term prospect in the race but better ground asks a new question of him so you’ve got to take him on with the free bet offer in mind. I like how WILLIAM MUNNY is learning with racing and he both settled and jumped better than ever last time out at Punchestown, while he should get a strong pace here and that will suit him nicely. Better ground is an unknown, but Westerner progeny generally handle it well and he looks well set to peak at the right time for what would be an emotional success.
Work in progress for De Bromhead
Matt Brocklebank: Kopek Des Bordes sets a very high standard on the form of his Dublin Racing Festival success last time out but in the hope of making the free bet go that bit further to help fund the rest of the week, it could be worth taking him on with WORKAHEAD. Henry De Bromhead’s lightly-raced 7yo jumped brilliantly en route to a ready success of William Munny in a maiden around Christmas and that race has worked out nicely since. He is also open to any amount of improvement and might be capable of causing a minor surprise in the opener.
WATCH: Workahead wins Leopardstown maiden by 7 lengths
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John Ingles: Kopek des Bordes is a short price but he’s not the only Grade 1 winner to have impressed at Leopardstown this season and last year’s Champion Bumper runner-up ROMEO COOLIO looks a solid alternative. A bit more battle-hardened than his main market rival, the strong-travelling Romeo Coolio has improved with each run over hurdles and put up a smart effort at Christmas when his rivals included Karniquet who has since finished runner-up to Kopek des Bordes back at Leopardstown.
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