In the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, Timeform assess the claims of a leading contender. Sky Bet Supreme favourite Kopek des Bordes is first under the microscope.
Pros
Kopek des Bordes raced only once in bumpers last season but he created a huge impression when winning the valuable George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper by 13 lengths at Fairyhouse's Easter Festival. That performance earned Kopek des Bordes a Timeform rating of 110p, which was the joint-highest figure awarded to a bumper debutant last season, and the promise he showed there ensured he was included among the 20 Irish representatives in Timeform's Horses To Follow book for the 2024/25 jumps season.
Kopek des Bordes, who was also nominated as one of assistant trainer Patrick Mullins' five to follow in the same publication, perhaps didn't post such a spectacular performance when making a successful start over hurdles at Leopardstown over Christmas. But the fireworks were very much on display back at the same venue last month when he took the step up in class in his stride to slam his rivals in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.
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That Grade 1 has an illustrious roll of honour and has been used as a stepping stone to success at the Cheltenham Festival by Samcro, Klassical Dream, Appreciate It, Sir Gerhard and Ballyburn since the Dublin Racing Festival's inception in 2018. However, none of those earned a higher rating than Kopek des Bordes at Leopardstown, with only Ballyburn matching his Timeform performance rating of 154.
A rating of 154P places Kopek des Bordes 5 lb clear of Romeo Coolio at the head of this season's novice hurdle rankings and is a high figure to have earned prior to the Cheltenham Festival. The last horse to run in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle with a higher pre-race Timeform rating was Altior, rated 155p, who won in 2015.
Kopek des Bordes has already run to a higher level than Slade Steel did when winning last year's Supreme. More is required to win a typical edition of the Festival opener - the mean Timeform performance rating of a Supreme winner stands at 158.3 and the median is at a similar level - but Kopek des Bordes still has the 'Large P' to highlight he remains open to significant improvement.
Cons
The way Kopek des Bordes powers through his races marks him out as something potentially special, though there's a fine line between travelling strongly and pulling too hard. Cheltenham's undulations and stiff finish can punish those who do too much too soon. Jumping errors can also prove more costly in a strongly-run Supreme than is sometimes the case in calmer waters. Kopek des Bordes was much better in the jumping department at Leopardstown last time but he had been by no means foot-perfect on his hurdling debut when he repeatedly jumped out to his left.
As is typical for a race like the Supreme, there are a host of promising horses who have yet to be asked for everything they have to offer. Kopek des Bordes may have achieved the most so far and looks to have the highest ceiling of ability, but there's always the risk of bumping into a big improver in a race of this nature.
Analysis by Tony McFadden
Dan Barber's verdict
Of the many examples that could be cited to highlight the strength in depth of the Willie Mullins stable, the performances of two novices over the two days of the Dublin Racing Festival might have provided the best yet. The display of Final Demand on the Saturday would rank as one of the very best by a novice at the meeting since its inception; yet, with the dust still settling, the bar was raised by another the following day, as Kopek des Bordes blew away his field in the two-miler.
Everything about Kopek des Bordes screamed top-class hurdler in the making and those who share Timeform’s view won’t have to wait long to have that belief confirmed when he lines up next month as a justifiably short-priced favourite for the curtain-raising Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
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