Journey to the Supreme: Top Contenders, Essential Pre-Festival Races, and an Untried 12-1 Shot in Hurdles

The meeting opener and ante-post picture for a big betting race are being discussed. The first horse being examined is a son of Galileo trained by Willie Mullins. He is the first foal out of Annie Power and has won all three of his races, most recently by seven lengths. Next is a novice trained by Nicky Henderson who has a perfect record of two wins over hurdles. Although his form may not be strong, his trainer has a history of success in this race. The question remains which festival race this horse will go for, as he is the general 4-1 favourite for the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle. He recently won a maiden at Leopardstown over two and a half miles. However, he has shown a tendency to race keenly and has entries for races over two miles and two miles and six furlongs at the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival. The next prospect is a horse trained by John and Thomas Kiely who is owned by McManus. This six-year-old has a perfect record of five wins in bumpers but missed his hurdling debut due to a stone bruise. It is uncertain if he will participate in the festival. Finally, the discussion turns to a six-year-old owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. This horse has not run since his last race and is not entered in the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival. His odds for the Supreme have drifted from 10-1 to 20-1. The Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle is scheduled for February 24 at Kempton, but the winner of this race has not gone on to win the Supreme since 1992.