The Cheltenham Festival is underway, with the Skybet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle attracting significant attention. The race will commence with the traditional Prestbury Park roar.
Old Park Star’s Chances
Nicky Henderson’s Old Park Star is prominent in the market. To win, it will have to contend with rivals such as Mighty Park, El Cairos and Talk The Talk. The horse will be trying to give Great Britain the best possible start.
One panel member said they were initially going to tip Idaho Sun, but he’s not running. They added that the question is whether to back the hype around Mighty Park or the proven Old Park Star.
Another panel member said they were going to have a tentative play on Mighty Park, noting it would be a huge training achievement. They believe Willie Mullins has had to do things a bit different this season, and a lot of his novice hurdlers didn’t fire first time out, but Mighty Park did.
Expert Opinions on the Runners
One expert said they were delighted Mighty Park is running because it means we’ll get a bigger price about Old Park Star. While respecting the view of the Mullins camp, they believe the old course might not suit Mighty Park. They are going with Old Park Star given the Henderson team have a great record in this race.
They added that Old Park Star has surprised them, and has just kept getting better and better. They noted that the horse loves jumping and galloping, is straightforward, and has course form. The sectionals of his last two races were very good, and he’s the only horse in the field they have at 150+.
The Battle of the Parks
One expert called it a battle of the Parks, and they are going with the proven one in Old Park Star. They noted that his win in the Rossington Main was impressive. They added that the figure he managed to post there was top drawer.
- The win was by an eased down eighteen lengths.
- The second place horse was a last time out Listed winner in Hurricane Pat.
- Hurricane Pat tried to live with the talent and the ability of Old Park Star.
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