Kopek De Bordes is the star attraction amongst the list of 12 horses declared for the 2025 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which kicks off next week’s Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 11th March, 2025. The unbeaten Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old is already a hot favourite for the traditional curtain-raiser, but he could face some notable rivals including the likes of stablemate Salvator Mundi and Gordon Elliott’s Romeo Coolio.
Imperious when cruising to a 13-length victory in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, Kopek Des Bordes was instantly slashed in the latest Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Odds and looks to be the first string for the Mullins team, who will be looking to kick off another festival with victory in the Supreme.
Salvator Mundi is another exciting novice hurdler for the Closutton team and he was last seen producing a workmanlike performance at Punchestown back in January, but is sure to improve, and that contender is another prominent figure in the betting.
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Sun 09 Mar 2025Second in the Champion Bumper last season, Romeo Coolio is looking to go one better here and after starting his hurdling career with a facile win at Down Royal, Gordon Elliott’s star six-year-old was last seen winning a Grade 1 at Leopardstown back in December, so he could be one of the leading challengers to the Mullins pair at the head of the market.
Barry Connell’s William Munny has been uttered as a potential challenger for success in this race and he was a Listed winner last time out, while Henry De Bromhead’s Workahead beat the Connell raider by seven lengths when the pair did battle at Leopardstown on Boxing Day and the latter will look to frank that form again here.
Others that catch the eye include Irancy, who could be another shot fired by the Mullins gun, while the likes of Karbau and Funiculi Funicula just add more depth to the embarrassment of riches the Co. Carlow operation of Mullins has at their disposal for the first race of the meeting.
2025 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Runners
| Number | Horse | Trainer |
| 1 | Funiculi Funicula | Willie Mullins |
| 2 | Irancy | Willie Mullins |
| 3 | Karbau | Willie Mullins |
| 4 | Karniquet | Willie Mullins |
| 5 | Kopek Des Bordes | Willie Mullins |
| 6 | Romeo Coolio | Gordon Elliott |
| 7 | Salvator Mundi | Willie Mullins |
| 8 | Sky Lord | Henry De Bromhead |
| 9 | Tripoli Flyer | Fergal O’Brien |
| 10 | Tutti Quanti | Paul Nicholls |
| 11 | William Munny | Barry Connell |
| 12 | Workahead | Henry De Bromhead |
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