At 1.20pm on Tuesday afternoon, the ‘Cheltenham roar’ will be heard in the Cotswolds, as the 2025 Cheltenham Festival gets underway.
The opening contest on day one is the Grade 1 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over 2 miles 87 yards. Named this year in honour of the recently deceased Lombardstown, Co Cork, rider, the race will be poignant coming so shortly after the jockey’s death just a few weeks ago.
Champion handler Willie Mullins is responsible for half the 12-runner field, with main stable jockey Paul Townend unsurprisingly choosing the race favourite Kopek Des Bordes. Owned by Charles McCarthy in Fermoy, the French-bred son of No Risk At All jumped very poorly first time out over hurdles at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.
He improved his hurdling significantly between then and the Dublin Racing Festival, where according to Race iQ he gained 10.72 lengths while jumping, and was the only horse over the two-day’s at Leopardstown to go sub 4 minutes over obstacles.
Romeo Coolio was runner-up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, and comes to Prestbury Park this season with wins at Down Royal last November and a Leopardstown Grade 1 at Christmas.
Salvador Mundi, the mount of Patrick Mullins, who previously finished second to Sir Gino in his native France, has a Tipperary maiden and a Punchestown Grade 2 to his name.
William Munny would be a fitting winner of this year’s renewal of the race. The listed novice winner at Punchestown will be ridden by Seán Flanagan, and will carry the colours of owner/trainer Barry Connell, the same colours worn by Michael O’Sullivan in 2023 when winning the ‘Supreme’ aboard Marine Nationale.
Despite Willie Mullins’ Closutton team being responsible for 50% of the field, the trainer has only won the race twice in the last six years (2021 Appreciate It and Klassical Dream 2019). He is, however, the race’s most successful current trainer with seven wins – Tourist Attraction (1995), Ebaziyan (2007), Champagne Fever (2013), Vautour (2014), Douvan (2015), Klassical Dream (2019) and Appreciate It (2021).
The race, previously known as the Gloucestershire Hurdle, has been won by Irish-trained raiders on 44 occasions, and by the French once. Of the 16 divisions from 1952-59, Vincent O’Brien won 10 renewals. Ireland also kept a stranglehold on the race for seven years
from 1977-83 and has won 15 of the last 23 runnings
1:20pm Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y
1 Funiculi Funicula (FR) 5 11 7 Michael A.O’Riordan/Séamus Hennessy W. P. Mullins Brian Hayes
2 Irancy (FR) 7 11 7 Mr John P. McManus W. P. Mullins Mark Walsh
3 Karbau (FR) 5 11 7 Barnane Stud,Partner & Temple Bloodstock W. P. Mullins Sean O’Keeffe
4 Karniquet (FR) h 5 11 7 Gigginstown House Stud W. P. Mullins Danny Mullins
5 Kopek des Bordes (FR) h 5 11 7 Monabeg Investments Limited W. P. Mullins P. Townend
6 Romeo Coolio 6 11 7 KTDA Racing Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
7 Salvator Mundi (FR) h,ts 5 11 7 Mrs J. Donnelly W. P. Mullins Mr P. W. Mullins
8 Sky Lord 6 11 7 Mr Basil Holian Henry de Bromhead Darragh O’Keeffe
9 Tripoli Flyer (IRE) 6 11 7 Mr Ismail El Magdoub Fergal O’Brien Jonathan Burke
10 Tutti Quanti (FR) 5 11 7 Mr Colm Donlon Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden
11 William Munny (IRE) h 7 11 7 Mr Barry Connell Barry Connell Seán Flanagan
12 Workahead (IRE) 7 11 7 Mr Barry Maloney Henry de Bromhead Rachael Blackmore
