2012 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Cheltenham Festival Preview

The upcoming Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival is just a few months away at this point and it really looks like this year's leading contest for juvenile hurdlers doesn't feature an overwhelming favourite at this stage. It's a stark contrast to other years where a high-profile four-year-old has come in with an undefeated record and a huge amount of hype. We obviously don't need to go into detail about how many of them actually wound up pulling off the score on the opening day's first race.

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Only a small handful of young jumpers actually trade at single digit prices in the ante post market for the big festival opener. Steps To Freedom and Waaheb are the only genuine favourites at this point with a huge amount of contenders priced at anywhere from 10/1 to 14/1.

Steps To Freedom is a six-year-old who ran at listed level on the flat before switching over and conquering a maiden at Fairyhouse on his debut over hurdles. He has since strung together three scores on the bounce and he goes into this one with plenty of credit and some solid breeding references (he is by Statue of Liberty and out of a Sadler's Wells mare).

Sent off as the favourite in each race he's tackled, the Supreme Novices will be his toughest test but he does go into the contest with a strong reference having conquered the Opus Energy Novices' Hurdle – making him a Grade 2 winner over the hurdles course at Cheltenham. He beat Prospect Wells on the line by a slim neck and the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding will be out looking for revenge in March.

Waaheb has been selectively campaigned and put together three victories on the bounce on the Irish National Hunt circuit. He was then just mugged on the line at Punchestown in a Grade 1 bumper by Lovethehigherlaw. It was the only time he has disappointed at any point in his career and the JP McManus-owned gelded son of Elusive Quality boasts a bit of mystery about him having stayed on the Irish bumper circuit.

Bred by Shadwell and with only four races to his credit, he looks set to kick on and progress – watch how he handles his hurdles debut in the next month or two having still gone unraced so far this campaign.